


8 minus 1

by JustAnotherOutcast



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Like jesus, Loss of Limbs, Manipulation, Non-Consensual Surgical Operations, Original Character-centric, Short Chapters, This Is Such a Trainwreck, Violence, Word of advice: write the story before you try to publish it, but not tagged in characters cuz he takes a bit to show up, i have no chill, im using oscorp to express my distaste for Many Things, last fic was all happy and flowers, now im severing limbs, they said the fuck word, tony stark - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2019-08-01 16:59:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 39
Words: 22,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16288391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherOutcast/pseuds/JustAnotherOutcast
Summary: Spider-Man is severely injured, and New York has it all on camera.





	1. Camera Phones

**Author's Note:**

> YEAH. WARNINGS: loss of limbs, blood, violence, etc
> 
> keep yourself safe my dudes.

Spider-Man lost a leg. There was no denying it. It was on video, multiple shaking phones catching the scene as it unfolded.

It was the Vulture this time, back from whatever hole he'd slunk to when he evaded arrest just a month prior. He'd upgraded his tech, wings slicker and quicker to respond. Flight feathers made of metal were replaced with a material with a bit more give, a little more lift as the material bulged from the wind pressure. He was faster, more agile, no more fumbling in the air if Spider-Man made a sharp turn to try and mix him up.

It was harder for Spider-Man to get away, harder for him to do anything to the Vulture before he had to swing away again in fear of being hit. The fight was lingering longer than it should have, wearing Spider-Man down.

The watching citizens caught it all. The ones who hadn't fled, the ones who decided to get to a rooftop for a better view of the action despite the risk. They saw it.

Spider-Man swung around a pillar, the Vulture flying parallel to him, and the hero couldn't get out of the way fast enough. The Vulture twisted, flying towards Spider-Man's arc without hesitation. Spider-Man shot a web upwards and yanked, flinging himself out of the way—mostly.

The inertia from his swing kept his body moving forwards, despite the force flinging him upwards. He avoided crashing straight into the Vulture, but his legs swung outwards, and apparently, the wings were insanely sharp.

The Vulture's wing sliced through the hero’s right leg. Literally right through it, just below the knee. The half of the videos wouldn't notice right away, tracking Spider-Man as he shot another web and pulled himself away.

It was seconds later in the videos when cries of shock could be heard, citizens fully realizing what had just happened. One video followed the limb, capturing a bloody image of Spider-Man's leg tumbling to the pavement.

That video got the most hits.

A chorus of "Oh, god"s echoed from the video as the man behind the phone took in what he was recording.

Another video had a good shot of Spider-Man directly after. The hero had landed on an exposed beam from the construction site he'd been using to swing too and fro. He was clutching his leg, fingers digging into the muscle above his knee. Shaking. He was shaking, visible tremors coursing through his body despite the wobbling footage. Blood was dribbling from the severed appendage as the hero knelt on the beam, his form curling into itself in obvious agony. 

Then there was a shout from behind the camera, desperate and cracked. "Spidey, behind you!"

The camera jostled, and focused on the incoming Vulture. Spider-Man jolted, rolled off the beam like a dead weight, and clumsily webbed his way to a concrete roof. The landing was bad. With only one leg to brace himself, Spider-Man tumbled to the ground, face down for a good second before painfully propping himself up on his elbows.

The next video had already been removed for violating YouTube's terms of service. Someone re-uploaded it on Daily Motion.

It had been recorded on one of the newest Stark phones, the ones that would stabilize shaky footage and pick up low light images much better than most other phone cameras. Only seconds in, and it was clear why YouTube got on the video faster than any others.

The person behind the camera was much closer than any of the other citizens, only a rooftop away. What were reddish stains in the other videos was clear, flowing blood here. The detail was harrowing, giving the viewer a look into Spidey that they never wanted to see. The bleeding muscle quivered at the point of the server, blood pulsing out of the wound steadily and giving a clear indicator of the hero’s rapid heartbeat. The liquid was soaking through the suit and discoloring the blue portions of Spider-Man’s outfit.

It was disturbing to watch, especially with the panicked noises of civilians behind the camera. Spider-Man remained still for a moment, breathing heavily, before rolling onto his side and inspecting in right leg. There was no visible expression on the man’s face, despite Spidey’s uncanny ability to twist his mask around to express himself. But the hero stared for a good while, breathing a bit too rapidly.

Then, more shouts. The Vulture didn’t give a damn if Spidey needed a minute. The civilians’ panic seemed to bring Spider-Man out of his daze, and he looked to the sky to see the Vulture headed towards him once more.

He jumped into action, despite the wound, despite the obvious pain. From—somewhere, it was hard to see in the video—Spider-Man produced a small cartridge of liquid. His chest stilled, as if he were bracing himself, as he brought the small vial to the bleeding stump. His fist clenched, the vial cracked, and a mass of webbing formed over the injury, creating a sort of web-bandage.

And then he was off. Webbing his way off the concrete roof and swinging back towards the Vulture. The person behind the camera let out a disbelieving laugh, choked with fear.

There were other videos around, detailing Spider-Man’s fight. Showing how he kept in the air, rarely perching anywhere. He clung to the side of buildings on occasion, left leg and arm sticking him to the walls, before he’d drop and swing himself somewhere else, no longer willing to launch himself from the edge without both legs to throw him in the right direction.

He relied on gravity, slowly dragging the Vulture down to an alley. There weren’t any clear videos of what went on in the alley, but by the end of it, it seemed the Vulture had jammed a wing into the side of the building, the other webbed all to hell against the same wall.

But Spider-Man, god, where was he? He’d vanished, despite the army of paramedics ready and eager to help the hero. The news outlet reported that he was missing, that all he left behind was the Vulture and a severed, mangled leg lying on the pavement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet


	2. Spider Forums

Spider-Man was MIA for quite a while. It made sense, really, but that didn’t make it any less concerning. Online forums speculated away, newspapers started drifting towards other news, the Bugle was down a front page icon. Three weeks later, everyone had their own idea of what happened to the hero after that night.

Some believed he died, bled out in some secret spider-liar or something.

Others thought he wouldn’t be showing up again; losing a limb meant he was done with hero work for good.

And few, just a small margin, thought he was fine, thought he’d be back in a week or so.

         **[BetsAreOff]** _4 hrs ago:_ _  
_ Bet he’s done for. 

         **[tweeny]** _4 hrs ago:_ _  
_ maybe but have u considered.............

         **[tweeny]** _4 hrs ago:_ _  
_ that ur wrong

         **[BetsAreOff]** _4 hrs ago:_ _  
_ Eloquent.  There’s no way Spider-Man could have survived a traumatic injury like that without help.

         **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_ _  
_ does he have a support team??

         **[ail304]** _4 hrs ago:_ _  
_ i haven’t heard of one

         **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_ _  
_ Lots of heros do though, maybe he had one too

         **[BetsAreOff]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_ It’s not impossible. But wouldn’t we have heard something by now? It’s almost been a month.

         **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_ hes a superhero dude hes not gonna drop dead in a ditch

         **[ail304]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_ unless he does.

         **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_ i dont like u right now


	3. The Bugle Website

**Spider-Man DNA Tested, Enhanced Healing Confirmed** ********  
By _ Angela Mawker _  
_Oct. 14th, 2018_

        Three weeks ago, on the night of Sept. 23rd, the supervillain Vulture faced off against the masked vigilante, Spider-Man. While the Vulture was safely subdued by the Spider-Man, the vigilante sustained heavy damage. Civilian records show multiple accounts of the man’s right leg being severed. The videos were confirmed when the limb was found on the scene. Spider-Man was nowhere to be found.

        While police remain on the lookout for the masked man, paramedics on the scene recovered the limb for testing. The limb was transported and tested by Oscorp Industries in the hopes of revealing some of Spider-Man’s many secrets.

        “We’ve discovered quite a lot in a very short amount of time,” says Dr. Helen Torre. “[The DNA] is obviously different from a normal humans, sharing genes found in many known species of spider.” Scientists are still testing to discover more details about the origins of the altered DNA

        Through DNA splicing, scientists were able to combine the DNA with the DNA of a rat test subject. After injecting the altered chromosomes into the rat, it experienced almost a week of deadly, fever-like symptoms. Many researchers expected the rat to die, but by the end of the week, it was back to a healthy state. More so, it seemed much stronger than before, its senses heightened, and its healing enhanced. A shallow cut to the rat’s tail recovered in a matter of minutes, not even leaving a scar.

        What does this mean? Based on the data collected from the rat and observed behaviors of the Spider-Man, scientists conclude that the man’s obvious strength comes from the mutated DNA. Data on the advanced healing helps explain the vigilante’s resilience.

        Good news for our Spider fans, Spider-Man’s healing factor puts the neighborhood webslinger in a much better position. While Spider-Man still hasn’t been sighted since the Vulture’s attack, experts speculate that he has a much better chance of making a strong comeback than previously thought. Scientists will continue to observe the rat’s behavior, as well as test the DNA from Spider-Man’s limb.

 

Comments: _(11)_

        tweenytwink:  
        thhhhhhhhhey have his dna??? they stole his leg??????????? Is that legal???????  
        Reply || 2:31 PM

                LUBBY:  
                @tweenytwink you mean is it LEG-al B)  
                Reply || 2:35 PM

                tweenytwink:  
                @LUBBY bruh  
                Reply || 2:36 PM

 

        JohnMasey:  
        So....? now we just have a super healing rat walking around in a lab somewhere?  
        Reply || 12:07 PM

                LUBBY:  
                @JohnMasey Rat-Man. The hero we don’t deserve.  
                Reply || 2:36 PM

 

        Spider-Girl:  
        O_o it never occurred to me that someone had to pick up spidey’s leg... that’s awful... hope he’s ok!!  
        Reply || 12:01 PM

                LUBBY:  
                @Spider-Girl That’s one hell of a souvenir  
                Reply || 1:37 PM

 

        YasQueen:  
        Good to hear!!! I hope our neighborhood hero is back on his feet soon enough :)  
        Reply || 11:45 PM

                LUBBY:  
                @YasQueen *foot  
                Reply || 2:38 PM

                tweenytwink:  
                @LUBBY comment one more time and i will destroy you  
                Reply || 2:39 PM

                LUBBY:  
                @tweenytwink ^3^ ~<3  
                Reply || 2:39 PM


	4. Spider Forums II

         **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ you guys see this???? [http://www.dailybugle.com/spider-man-dna-tested-enhanced-healing-confirmed/491952071/](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16288391/chapters/38094614)

         **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ I did not. Thanks for the link.

         **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ DUuuuude they have his LEG

         **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ I KNOW

         **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ That’s super freaky

         **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ freakyiness aside, that’s some good news

         **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ NO??? ITS NOT????

         **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ ?

         **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ But he’s prolly fine?

         **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ GUYS

         **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ THEY HAVE HIS LEG

         **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ HIS DNA

         **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ the infamous “they”

         **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ ??

         **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ i get it now

         **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ THE GOVERNMENT. HAS SPIDER-MAN’S DNA

         **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ Oscorp is a private corporation.

         **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ THAT’S WORSE

         **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ Soon: the army of immortal rats

         **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_ What can they do with the dna tho??

         **[BetsAreOff]** _recently:_ _  
_ Reveal his identity. Craft weapons to combat his powers. Detain him.

         **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ WHAT BETS SAID

         **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_ Is that so bad??

         **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ YES

         **[BetsAreOff]** _recently:_ _  
_ Tweeny has a point. The government hasn’t always been the best when it comes to dealing with supers. Remember the Sokovia Accords?

         **[BetsAreOff]** _recently:_ _  
_ Spider-Man’s civilian identity might not be safe anymore.

         **[ail304]** _recently:_ _  
_ Bets is concerned, and suddenly im nervous

         **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_ But what about Iron Man? Captain America? All those dudes don’t have secret identities

         **[BetsAreOff]** _recently:_ _  
_ Stark tower was attacked a grand total of 23 times in a span of 6 months after Tony Stark revealed himself.

         **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_ ugh.. way to kick a guy when he’s down.... spidey lost a limb, and now this?

         **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ im actually crying rn

         **[LUBBY]** _recently:_ _  
_ O hay guys

         **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

         **[LUBBY]** _recently:_ _  
_ ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao my characters for this fic are apparently random usernames


	5. Just the Facts with J. Jonah Jameson

"To all my faithful listeners, you are all aware that I am not the type to go easy on someone out of sympathy. However, I feel it is important to address the recent events concerning Spider-Man.

"Less than a month ago, the man lost his leg in a battle against the criminal calling himself the Vulture. It's painful to think about, even though the Vulture wouldn't exist if Spider-Man wasn't there in the first place. Still, that's a type of pain no one should have to go through.

"I have with me a witness to the fight who is willing to share her experience. You're on the air."

_"Thanks for having me, Mr. Jameson."_

"Not a problem. Now, you saw the fight with your own eyes, didn't you?"

_"Yeah. Right up close. I didn't want to leave really; it was the first time I'd ever seen Spider-Man in person."_

"Must have been rather disappointing, considering how things ended."

_"I... guess... But Spider-Man did take the Vulture down, even with his leg missing! That was pretty impressive."_

"But no doubt a reminder of how dangerous playing hero can be."

_"Oh, absolutely. If someone I knew was a super hero, I'd smack them into next week!"_

"A wise choice."

_"But still, I hope he's okay. Hopefully he'll be back out there soon."_

"I absolutely agree, ma'am, though maybe it would be better if Spider-Man retired after this stunt."

_"It's a little late for that."_

"Oh?"

_"Mr. Jameson, even if what you say is right, that these super villains appear because of Spider-Man, he's still the only force keeping them back right now. The cops can't deal with threats like the Vulture on their own, not yet."_

"You make a good point ma'am, but if Spider-Man doesn't vanish now, then when? More and more villains will appear in his wake, terrorizing the city when he isn't able to help. Like now.

"The adjustment period will be harsh regardless, but it's better to do it sooner rather than later, when you've all grown too dependent on the man."

_"I suppose you're right..."_

"Of course I am. This is just a natural course of events. Spider-Man is not built to survive in our society."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this is that podcast from the PS4 game. Lemme mix my spider sources in peace


	6. Spider Forums III

         **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_          spIDEr-maN IS Not bUILt to SURvivE IN Our soCIETy

         **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         is that that SpongeBob meme

         **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         yes

         **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         jameson is a bag of dildos

         **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         He makes a good point though. Maybe this is the safest option for everyone involved.

         **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         Spider-Man can take this lull to disappear, no strings attached. No one would blame him if he quit.

         **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         how about u not say that ever again thanks

         **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         smell the coffee tweeny

         **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         i hate coffee

         **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         question

         **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         how exactly is losing a limb considered a safe option

         **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         While isn't ideal, a major injury is one of the few ways a superhero can retire without getting yelled at for abandoning the people.

         **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         Spidey set it up

         **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         NO

         **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         ??

         **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         It's a possibility.

         **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         I was joking but ok

         **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         Really though. People don't exactly let superheros bow out when they get sick of it.

         **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         Who would sacrifice a leg for that???

         **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         never know how much he's already lost to the heroisms. Maybe a leg is like pocket change

         **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         you guys are awful

         **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         it's part of my charm

         **[LUBBY]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_         malingering

         **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_         ?

         **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_         Faking an injury in order to get out of something, that's what malingering means.

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         are u serious right now

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         how the hell do you fake cutting a leg off

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         To be fair, I've seen daddy long legs with only 7 legs and they managed just fine

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         does Spider-Man have hidden legs he's not telling anyone about

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         if he does, he'd better pull em out of his ass real soon

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         hoohoooo tweeny is grumpy

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         you guys are pretty terrible, yknow that

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         We're just assessing the possibilities, Tweeny.

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         ur accusing a superhero of insurance fraud

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         uh is Spidey's leg insured

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         u kno what i mean

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         it might be now. Oscorp gets a payout to cover the losses if someone snags the spider leg

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         Who would steal a leg

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         I know some weirdos

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         that's disturbing

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         Spider-Man wouldn't just ditch us tho, he wouldn't do that on purpose

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         he's gonna come back, extra limbs or no

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         Tweeny, be realistic. Superheros are people too. Spider-Man might be done, and if he is, it's not our place to question it.

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         he can't quit tho, the city needs him, he protects us

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         No.

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         He's not a cop. He's not a public servant. He's a man in a mask, jumping around on buildings in his free time. He doesn't work for the city.

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         "Spider-Man can't be held accountable because he hides behind a mask"

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         or something

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _ _  
_         dont quote jameson at me

**[tweeny]** _ recently: _ _  
_         i need a break

**[LUBBY]** _ recently: _ _  
_         so did Spidey

**[tweeny]** _ recently: _ _  
_         bruh

**[LUBBY]** _ recently: _ _  
_         (˘︶˘).｡.:*♡

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at some point i'll write a chapter that isn't just forum convos. have patience lmao


	7. The Bugle Website II

**Spider-Man: Gone for Good?** **  
**By _Jennifer Rend_  
_Oct. 30, 2018_

        Over a month ago, the local vigilante Spider-Man was last seen after a violent attack from the Vulture. Losing a leg to the fight, Spider-Man fled the scene, and he has yet to reappear on city streets. Could this be the end of Spider-Man's reign?

        Behavior psychologist Tristan Bosley has been studying superhero motivations for the past sixteen years. “Spider-Man’s a harder case,” says Bosley. “After about a year or two, heroes tend to fall off the map. Sort of like a mid-life crisis. A hero looks back at the last few years of their life, their reputation, their commitments, and a good majority come to the conclusion that vigilantism isn’t what they want to do for the rest of their life. Spider-Man may be a little late to that game, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s reconsidering being a public hero given his injury.”

        But Spider-Man’s behavior isn’t consistent with most cases of year-long heroes. “He’s been around longer, but he’s stayed pretty local. He protects his area, he declined joining the Avengers just last year.” Bosley finds it hard to believe that Spider-Man will simply vanish. “He’s more than a hero. He’s a character, a dude who goes to the gas station for a bag of chips and takes the subway when he doesn’t feel like walking.”

        Bosley compares Spider-Man to other well-known heroes in the area. “Iron Man shows up when you need him, or when Tony Stark wants to be showy. Captain America will make public appearances, punch some nazis, stuff like that.” Most heroes, he says, only use their hero persona when it's needed. “But Spider-Man doesn’t do that. He lives half his life as Spider-Man, he’s not a rare sight in the city. For some, dropping heroisms might be as easy as hanging up the cape, but for a hero like Spider-Man, it’s more like abandoning a second life.”

        Yet Bosley also says that a traumatic injury such as the loss of a limb could be a strong enough push to that second life into the dark. The longer the webslinger remains silent, the lower the odds of his return.

        But what does that mean for New Yorkers? The sudden absence of the local hero may bring in a wave of crime. NYPD are working to organize more vigorous patrols in the vigilante’s absence, as many small-time offenders have been crawling out of the woodwork now that they aren’t afraid of being webbed to the ceiling. Experts don’t expect the rise in crime to last, but it might take some time before things fall back to normal.

 

Comments: ( _8_ )

        Feeee99:  
        this is so BS. get your sycology bull outta here  
        Reply || 1:09 PM

                UrMOM:  
                @Feeee99 *psychology  
                Reply || 1:35 PM

                Feeee99:  
                @UrMOM you don’t get to correct me with a username like that  
                Reply || 2:50 PM

        Rain22Rain:  
        Well that’s a freaky good point...  
        Reply || 12:40 PM

                user3012:  
                @Rain22Rain How so? All this article does is flop back and forth :/  
                Reply || 12:45 PM

                Rain22Rain:  
                @user3012 Well we don’t really kno for sure what spidey’s thinking, so it’s kind of hard to NOT flop around....  
                Reply || 12:47 PM

        harby:  
        Of course! more Crime! This is why we shouldn’t have superheroes  
        Reply || 12:00 PM

                tweenytwink:  
                @harby you got your wish, maybe shut up now  
                Reply || 12:35 PM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> buuuuhd i still have another bugle article to write, and i doubt that'll be the last one
> 
> why did i decide it was a good idea to use news articles to help advance the plot? they are not very fun to write


	8. Spider Forums IV

**[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:  
        [http://www.dailybugle.com/spider-man-gone-for-good/135782237/](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16288391/chapters/38152715)_

 **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        Thoughts?

 **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        It definitely a good point. Spider-Man has always had more of a personable presence than most other heroes I’ve met.

 **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        didn’t know there were superhero behavior analysts

 **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        There’s a job for everything

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        wait bets wdym met

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        how many heroes have you met

 **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        My line of work means I run into more heroes than the average person.

 **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        are you a cia agent

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        have you talked to spidey before??? like conversation stuff

 **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        Yes. He wanted to know where I got my sweater.

 **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        Dude

 **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        and where did you get the sweater

 **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        There was a sale at Hot Topic.

 **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        bets shops at hTO TOPIC

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Anyway, news outlets keep talking like Spider-Man is definitely alive. We haven’t seen anything from him since the incident, so technically it’s not confirmed.

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Why did spider-man care about your sweater bets

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        what were you wearing

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        His super healing doesn’t confirm that he survived, unless they tested it by cutting off the super rat’s leg.

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Don’t cut off the rat’s leg :(

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        yeah no ur wrong bets shush

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        bets. the sweater

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        You don’t know that Tweeny.

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Supers usually make it out from much worse though, so im not surprised everyone’s assuming

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        @BetsAreOff sweater

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        the guy was swinging around without a leg right after it happened

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        of course hes alive

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        True, he’s definitely resilient enough

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
         @BetsAreOff hot topic

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        It was literally just a Spider-Man sweater, Ail.

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        BETS WEARS SPIDER MERCH

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        was he even bleeding by the end of it? he webbed up his leg

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        BETS

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        WEARS

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        SPIDER

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        There aren’t any videos of the end of the fight, but he wasn’t exactly dripping all over the streets

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        MERCH

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        so yeah hes good

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        unless it got infected

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        dont be a pessimist

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        bets is a CIA AGENT

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        who wears SPIDER MERCH

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        like a big SPIDER NERD

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Thanks. I’m leaving now.

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        whoa

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        ail did you just

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        bully Bets offline

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        you’re a bystander, you’re no better than me.

 **[ail304]** _recently:_ _  
_         now excuse me while i photoshop together an apology meme

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_  
        sweater drama

 **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_         if anyone cares about his image, it’s Bets

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_  
        is that the reason for the Prim and Proper Grammar

 **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_         Probably

 **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_         anyway dinner’s ready, gtg

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_  
        i feel abandoned

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_  
        spiderman save me

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_ _  
_         HAY YALL

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_         yep im gone

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_ _  
_         wow. rude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this feels like filler. is this filler? idk what counts as filler. i just know for a fact that the next chapter will def not be filler


	9. The Bugle Website III

**Oscorp Security Breach—Spider-Man’s Leg Stolen** **  
** By  _ Angela Mawker _   
_ Oct. 31, 2018 _

        Early this morning, one of Oscorp’s main research facilities was broken into. Authorities were unaware of the incident until hours later when researchers reported their lab trashed. Oscorp security was quick to usher local authorities away, citing an internal incident.

        The lab in question held valuable research concerning the missing vigilante, Spider-Man. Computer systems were manually wiped, and physical records of the research were nowhere to be found. No equipment was harmed, but specimens were stolen or destroyed on site. Among the notable stolen specimens were the cryopreserved leg of the vigilante Spider-Man, tissues samples, and fabric samples from the Spider-Man’s suit. The enhanced rat appeared to have escaped its cage and added to the chaos, nibbling through wire throughout the lab. The escaped rodent has yet to be located.

        Lack of witnesses and scrambled security footage are leaving authorities with few leads on the culprit. However, many suspect that the Spider-Man himself broke in in order to maintain his secrets. Others believe that a rival to Spider-Man or Oscorp may have stolen the information. Oscorp representatives are keeping quiet on the issue, but they assure the public that Oscorp is responding to the break in promptly.

        It is still unclear as to how much information was lost to the vandalism. Data on Spider-Man’s abilities may be completely lost, leaving researchers back at square one. The loss of progress could halt endeavors to better New Yorker’s lives with the research. The stolen specimens could also spell bad news for citizens, especially if one of Spider-Man’s so called enemies has a hold on the information. For now, authorities are on the lookout for any clues as to the identity of the culprit.

        Meanwhile, Oscorp insists that this is an isolated incident. The company insures investors that the break in will have no impact on this years stock prices, and that they will make a speedy recovery from the missing data. However, the company gives little evidence to support their claims.

 

Comments:  ( _8_ )

Johnowo:  
        ...that’s really freaky. betcha it was like, mysterio or something... he’s gonna get spidey’s super healing and stuff now  
        Reply || 4:59 PM

CrabMan:  
                @Johnowo I really hope not... that sounds bad...  
Reply || 7:15 PM

FisherP:  
        Who would steal a leg?  
Reply || 4:46 PM

LUBBY:  
                @FisherP Legolas  
Reply || 4:52 PM

                FisherP:  
                @LUBBY ??  
                Reply || 4:52 PM

LUBBY:  
                @FisherP cuz he’s leg - las  
                Reply || 4:54 PM

DenDenDennis:  
        Oscorp is so full of itself. Like, seriously, just admit your security messed up and move on. It’s not that hard.  
        Reply|| 4:20 PM

CrabMan:  
                @DenDenDennis Absolutely. they’re worried about investors, not about the lost scientific advancements or anything like that  
                Reply|| 7:05 PM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH.


	10. Spider Forums V

**[ail304]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        GUYS

**[ail304]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        REMEMBER WHAT I SAID A FEW DAYS BACK

**[ail304]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        OSCORP GOT THEIR INSURANCE PAYOUT

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _ _  
_         ??

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_          ur kidding

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        [http://www.dailybugle.com/oscorp-security-breach-spider-mans-leg-stolen/1067524377/](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16288391/chapters/38206679)

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
         what the actual fuck

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        Ail, did your weirdo friends do that???

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        i never said they were friends

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        i dont know tho

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        maybe

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
         this is one hell of a halloween rn

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        The Night of the Living Leg

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        I doubt the press was given the whole story. Oscorp probably has a better handle on the situation than we think.

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        Oscorp wouldn’t want anyone to know about this ideally

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        Doesn’t sound like a good handle on it to me

**[tweeny]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        oscorp has a rat

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        a super healing rat

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        Really though, who do you think took it?

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        Could have been an employee, or one of Spider-Man’s enemies.

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
         or spidey himself

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        yeah, i wouldn’t want my secrets getting out if i were him

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
         does that mean hes back in action

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        It’s possible.

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        It’s also possible that he’s in more danger than ever before.

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        dramatic

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        But if a bad guy already figured out who spidey is, why haven’t they revealed him yet?

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        they wish to do Illegal Things to the man

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        dont want the cops to know

**[tweeny]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        so spider-man’s been kidnapped???

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        We don’t know anything for sure.

**[tweeny]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        but it’s possible that he has been

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        Yes.

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        What about the info leak? Who’s telling the press that oscorp messed up?

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        did they blab cuz they hated oscorp

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        maybe they needed someone (like us) to figure out that spidey’s been kidnapped so someone can save him

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        (like us)

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        i have never met you irl, but i don’t believe that you would survive a stunt like that

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        And i live in pennsylvania soooo

**[tweeny]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        you created this forum???? yet you live out of state???????

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        pennsylvania is boring.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the problem with writing before you know what the end goal is. i got this, even if this story's a little clumsy lmao. at least im updating it. i never do that


	11. USPS Delivery

Oscorp Industries

Oscorp Industries Bd. #4  
New York City, New York 00821  
(429)-563-9920  
28 October, 2018  
  
█████ ██████  
██████████  
████ ██████ ██ ██

New York City, New York █████  
  
Dear Mr. ██████:  
  
I am contacting you on behalf of Oscorp Industries research department. We are aware of your recent injury and wish to offer you the chance to participate in the testing of a prosthetic prototype. It is our goal to help provide citizens with a higher standard of living, which we wish to achieve via enhanced prosthesis. Your cooperation in testing the current prototypes would be greatly appreciated.

The prototype we wish to test is a below-the-knee prosthetic made using data gathered from Octavius Industries. The prosthetic is designed to emulate a real limb to the finest detail in order to supply users with the best possible life after amputation. In order for the prototype to function, a minor operation of the residual limb is required, as well as a chip implant at the base of the skull. Please contact our surgical department for more information on the operations required.

After the operations, Oscorp researchers will monitor your recovery in the facility for a week to help prevent any complications. Afterwards, you will be sent home to continue your normal life, meeting with researchers on a weekly basis to maintain a research report. The prototype may be prone to change, prompting replacements and continued monitoring in order to ensure that they provide the best experience to users.

Any and all complications will be covered financially by Oscorp Industries. Oscorp is not responsible for any unintended long-term effects. By participating in this stud, you will agree to be monitored for an undetermined amount of time. Please contact Oscorp’s legal department for additional information.

We earnestly hope you decide to participate in this study. Thank you for your time.  
  
Sincerely,

  


Dr. Jole Key  
DScPT, Head of Oscorp Prosthetics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys seriously you have no idea how much your comments keep me going, every single one of them ;v;


	12. Spider Forums VI

**[LUBBY]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        <https://bit.ly/2NQiTSY>

**[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        ??

 **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        What’s that?

 **[LUBBY]** _2 hrs ago:_  
          @tweeny 

**[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_         1m dont @ me

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_         2, where did you find that

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        is it important??

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        did oscorp just literally admit to stealing dr. oct’s research after he went to jail

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        that’s some big shit lubby

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        where’d you find this?

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_         more importantly who was it sent to?????

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_         oscorp could know spideys identity??? did they send him a letter??????

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        If that's true, this feels more like a taunt than anything else.

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Lubby, how did you get this?

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Wait, is spidey gonna get a prosthetic from doc oct???

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        that sounds..... bad

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        We don’t know for sure if the letter was sent to Spider-Man, much less whether or not he accepted the offer.

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        We don’t even know how credible the letter is.

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Lubby, source?

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_         lubby wtf where’d you go

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        spider forum hit and run

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_           @LUBBY 

**[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_           @LUBBY 

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_           @LUBBY 

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_          @LUBBY

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_           @LUBBY 

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_           @LUBBY 

**[1millionSnails]** _recently:_  
        please don’t spam tweeny

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_         WHERE DID HE GO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooof this one is really short, sorry. im writing some spicy stuff for coming chapters tho, so get ready for that burning pain lmao


	13. Spider Forums VII

         **[1millionSnails]** _3 hrs ago:_  
        Guys someone just dropped a rat off at my house

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_ excuse me what

**[ail304]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        is that a euphemism

**[1millionSnails]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        no like

**[1millionSnails]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        someone rang the doorbell, but no one was there when i answered it, and there was a petco box with a live rat inside

**[ail304]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        what the hell

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_ pennsylvania is weird

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        and here snails said it was boring

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        it usually is

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_ where’s the rat now?

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        I set her up in my old hamster cage from a year ago, but it’s definitely not big enough for her

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        I’ll definitely need to find something bigger

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_ wait are you gonna keep it?

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        I mean, maybe?? i don’t know what im doing

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        you’ve raised rats before, haven’t you?

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        Yeah, but that was years ago, and they didn’t appear on my doorstep out of nowhere

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        Take her to a vet and get a full check up before you do anything else. Rats are big disease carriers.

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        That’s one hell of a way to take someone out

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        Someone’s trying to kill me with rats????

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        yeah

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        sorry dude, the furries have it out for you

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        nothing we can do

**[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ omg

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        she keeps chewing at the bars, im gonna grab some fruit or something for her

**[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ snails the rat mom

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ but really who the hell just leaves a rat

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        maybe it was just abandoned?

**[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_ _  
_ sure but why snails? who would know that you’ve taken care of rats before anyways

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        maybe they didn’t know

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        just got lucky

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ thats a v suspicious form of lucky

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ you leave a rat on a doorstep in my neighborhood and the rat gets stomped to death in seconds

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        god its cold out, imagine if i hadn’t answered the door when i did?

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
        of course you’d be worried about a random rat freezing to death

**[BetsAreOff]** _ recently: _   
        Tweeny makes a good point. Be careful, Snails. Someone might be watching you.

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        That’s freaky

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Im freaked out

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        I dont like pennsylvania at all anymore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the train is rollin my dudes -v- hope yall are ready


	14. Spider Forum VIII

         **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        gUYs

**[1millionSnails]** _ 4 hrs ago: _   
        THRE RAT

**[1millionSnails]** _ 4 hrs ago: _   
        SHEs THE OSCOrP RAT

**[ail304]** _ 4 hrs ago: _   
        how do you know???

**[1millionSnails]** _ 4 hrs ago: _   
        most rats can’t climb on the cEILING

**[1millionSnails]** _ 4 hrs ago: _   
        How do i get her down????

**[ail304]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        broom

**[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_  
         why do u have the oscorp rat????

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        Whoever left her was most likely involved in the break in.

**[ail304]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        be glad you didn’t get a leg on your doorstep

**[1millionSnails]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        She won't! Come! DOWN!!!

**[ail304]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        Let her chill for a sec

**[ail304]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        Why send the rat to pennsylvania

**[1millionSnails]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        maybe it makes it harder for oscorp to find her?

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        Scattering stolen property can make it harder to trace back to the culprit.

**[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_  
         bruh

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_  
         that means oscorp is after your ass

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_  
         you have their property

**[1millionSnails]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        I didn’t sign up for this

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 3 hrs ago: _   
        This is getting serious. Keep safe, Snails, Oscorp is rumored to have connections with a lot of east coast gangs.

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        F UCK

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
        ????

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        she fell off the ceiling

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        Good thing she’s got super spider healing

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        I thought something was off when she wouldn’t stop eating

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
         so does that mean spidey eats a lot too

**[BetsAreOff]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        Probably. Lots of supers are confirmed to have enhanced metabolism. I wouldn’t be surprised if Spider-Man did too.

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        lmao and i thought he just liked snacking on patrol

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
         i mean i would too if i were him

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        hope he’s eating enough right now. gotta stay healthy to recover. 

**[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_  
         ive never seen him touch a carrot in his life

**[ail304]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        recovering on a diet of fritos and microwave dinners

**[1millionSnails]** _ 2 hrs ago: _   
        that’s not good!!

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
        if we let him, snails would mother hen spidey so hard he would die

**[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
         right now i really want to see that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> raise ur hand if you saw this coming from a mile away


	15. Spider Forums IX

**[tweeny]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        spideys been gone too long and im getting nervous

 **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        you weren’t nervous already??

 **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        Im harboring stolen goods from one of the most well-known research companies in the US

 **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        spider-man’s been MIA for almost two months now

 **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        and Hibiscus keeps gnawing her way out of her cage

 **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        i haven’t not been nervous for days

 **[tweeny]** _4 hrs ago:_ _  
_         hibiscus

 **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        the rat

 **[ail304] 4** _hr sago:_  
        hello biscus

 **[1millionSnails]** _4 hrs ago:_  
        she says hi

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         can the rat talk????

 **[1millionSnails]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         no im just a nerd

 **[ail304]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         he admits it!

 **[BetsAreOff]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         Spider-Man might be retired at this point.

 **[BetsAreOff]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         Personally I don’t think we’ll see him again.

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         i just wish he’d break the silence

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         he could at least tell everyone if he’s done

 **[BetsAreOff]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         He’s off the radar now, it would be dangerous to reappear just to confirm suspicions.

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         but he’s NOT off the radar

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         oscorp had data on him, we dont know how much they recovered since the break in

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         lubby showed us that letter, oscorp could easily be targeting spidey’s secret identity

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         which lubby probably already knows if he had access to that letter

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         and we don’t even know where the leg went, someone dangerous could have it

 **[ail304]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         yeah, things aren’t looking pretty for spidey

 **[BetsAreOff]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         He’s probably aware of all of this. He’s trying to lie low.

 **[tweeny]** _3 hrs ago:_ _  
_         he’d better have gotten help from someone

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         the avengers, the torch, even daredevil

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         dont really care who

 **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         me too. He’s in a lot of danger as it is, not to mention he has to deal with losing a leg at the same time

 **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         He might be a superhero, but he’s not a god

 **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         we have no idea how he’s handling it

 **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         That’s true. We’re in the dark here.

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         lubby’s not

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         i just want to know if spideys ok

 **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         what if he’s not

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         then ill fucking make it ok

 **[BetsAreOff]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         There isn’t much any of us can do unless he reaches out. Trust me, I wish he would.

 **[1millionSnails]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         why would he have any reason to reach out to us?

 **[ail304]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         Well someone thought you were worthy, snails, otherwise you wouldn’t have the super rat

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         i dont give a damn if were just nobodys

 **[tweeny]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         id still help if i could

 **[LUBBY]** _2 hrs ago:_ _  
_         836 34th Ave. #43

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        dude what

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        i swear to god lubby if youre actually spidey im going to murder you

 **[LUBBY]** _1 hr ago:_  
        ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        g maps says that’s an apartment complex

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        lubby this is not the time for arranging playdates

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        im going

 **[ail304]** _1 hr ago:_  
        tweeny.

 **[1millionSnails]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Dude do not??? You don’t know if it’s safe

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        im sick of this

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        im gonna go punch lubby in the face

 **[LUBBY]** _1 hr ago:_  
        ( ˘ ³˘)♥

 **[BetsAreOff]** _1 hr ago:_  
        Tweeny, that’s a really bad idea.

 **[tweeny]** _1 hr ago:_  
        im made of bad ideas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet


	16. Mixed Media

It was dark, and not just because it was almost 10 at night. Past the crack of the door, It was hard to make anything out inside the residence. But really, he was hesitant to enter. Because it was a random address, found online, given by someone he really didn’t know at all. It was a residence, one of those apartment buildings with the balcony-like hallways. The door was open when he got there. The entire thing just sounded like a bad idea.

He took a breath, fishing out his phone as he kept a watchful eye on the door, as if something could jump from the crack at any second.

         **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_         im regretting my decision

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_         its an apartment, the doors just open

 **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_         Tweeny seriously, don’t go in alone

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_         yeah thats sound advice

And yet the fear didn’t seem to be enough to keep his feet still, to keep his hands from twitching.

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_         i dont really listen to sound advice

He knocked, lightly shifting the door from the motion. No response, and Tweeny had to take a steadying breath before he could bring himself to step inside.

It was still too dark to make anything out, so he turned to the wall in search of a light switch. There wasn’t one, but he did just punch a floor lamp and almost knock it to the ground. A muddled swear escaped him as he fumbled to straighten the lamp before switching it on.

Maybe he shouldn’t have switched it on.

 **[BetsAreOff]** _recently:_ _  
_         Tweeny, at least call someone before going in.

 **[ail304]** _recently:_ _  
_         or maybe just don’t go in at all

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_         i found spiderman

 **[ail304]** _recently:_ _  
_         WHAT?

 **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_         ??1?!?!?! so does that mean lubby is spiderman???

And it had to be. It really did. The apartment looked practically normal, but there were several objects strung up—webbed, really—to the ceiling. Bottled water and cans of soda, snacks and medical supplies, and bottles and bottles of painkillers. They all hung down around the sofa where a figure rested, face down in the cushions, clad in only a blue sweater and sweatpants.

The figure didn’t make a sound, but he pulled the hood over his head, most likely to block out the light. The crumbled and flattened fabric of his right pant-leg was all too noticeable in the dull shadows cast by the lamp. And if the webs and missing limb weren’t enough to prove who the man was, the red, bug eyed mask that lay discarded on the coffee table between empty bottle and bags was enough for Tweeny.

“...Sp—dey?” His voice was weak, still remembering how to function. He cleared his throat. “Spider-Man...?”

The sweatered man didn’t respond, but his shoulders heaved with a stuttering breath. And then Tweeny’s phone pinged at him.

 **[BetsAreOff]** _recently:_ _  
_         How else would Lubby know Spider-Man’s address?

 **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_         Are you fucking with us???

 **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_         is he ok????

 **[ail304]** _recently:_ _  
_          @tweenyYou don’t get to go quiet after dropping something like that

 **[ail304]** _recently:_ _  
_          @LUBBY what’s going on

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_         hes here, hes alive

 **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_         hold on im a little busy now ok

“...Lubby...?” he tried. No response from the man. “Look, I came here to punch you in the face. It’s a little hard if you just kinda sit there like a depressed sloth...”

Again, no response. Tweeny withheld a sigh, honestly too nervous to let it out. Cautiously, he stepped over towards the couch, his feet dodging discarded wrappers as he went. Now standing at the head of the couch, there was another ping from his phone, and Tweeny dutifully ignored it.

He opened his mouth, but that seemed to drain all the courage from him, so instead he glanced around the room. A thick strand of webbing stretched from the back of the couch to a darkened bathroom doorway, firm and stable to the touch. A railing, he realized. Because Spider-Man only had one leg.

“Do you...” Tweeny swallowed thickly before trying again. “Do you have a prosthetic somewhere?”

It took a second, but the man on the couch eventually shifted, tucking his elbows under his chest to push his torso up. Tweeny panicked, just a little bit. He didn’t want this. Not now. So he slammed his palm down onto the back of Spider-Man’s hood, pushing his head into the arm of the couch again.

“Don’t—” He choked, suddenly feeling very sheepish at having slammed his favorite superhero’s head into a couch. Though really, he knew it wasn’t nearly as bad as he felt it was. Just a soft plop into the padded arm. Still, Spidey didn’t move under his hold, arms still poised beneath his chest.

“I don’t want to—” he stammered. He didn’t know what to say. “You don’t— What I mean is...” His phoned pinged again, and Tweeny groaned. “You’re just Spider-Man. I don’t want to know who you are.”

It wasn’t entirely true. Tweeny was dying of curiosity. But he didn’t want to learn of his hero’s identity under these sorts of circumstances. Not in some dingey, dirty apartment.

Spidey seemed to accept that, shoulder going slack as he slouched back into the cushions.

“I don’t have one.”

Tweeny blinked, staring down at the back of the man’s hood in surprise. “What?”

“A prosthetic.” The voice was muffled by the couch, but clear enough to understand. “I don’t have one.”

“You don’t...” His phone pinged again. “But it’s been months!”

Spidey didn’t respond.

Tweeny’s mouth hung open in shock, and he cast his eyes to the side to process the information. He caught sight of the scattered wrappers and bags. He dragged his eyes across the room once more, taking in the suspended foods and drinks and pills— _so many pills_ , all painkillers.

Another ping.

“You didn’t.... You didn’t go to _anyone_ ?” He looked back down at Spidey, his hand still resting on the back of his head. “After all this time, you’ve just been here, _alone_?” The sadness in his voice leaked away into some twisted form of anger, one Tweeny didn’t bother to decipher.

“I couldn’t let them know,” came a warbled response from the sofa.

And Tweeny didn’t exactly know who Spidey was referring to, but he didn’t care. “Bullshit!” He pulled back, pushing his hands through his hair in agitation. “That’s bullshit! You don’t— You don’t _do_ that! You don’t— To people who are _worried_ about you?! You _don’t_!”

His words were muddled, as they always were, but that didn’t keep him from making his point. He took a breath, slamming his eyes shut to try to calm himself. Then, he huffed out a harsh laugh. No, not a laugh. Something cruel and upset, but it wasn’t a laugh.

“What about Oscorp? They offered you a—a thing, you wouldn’t have to pay a dime, you— And it’s one of those mind things, you wouldn’t even— It wouldn’t be— What the hell were you _thinking_?”

From the couch, Spidey shook his head, hardly noticeable under his hood. “I couldn’t!” The response was choked, his voice clearer as he pulled his chin away from the arm. “I just _couldn’t_. After everything with Otto...”

Another ping, and Tweeny groaned. “Can you guys just chill for four seconds maybe?” he mumbled. And since Spidey seemed to prefer keeping his mouth shut for once in his life, Tweeny fished the phone out of his pocket. Every notification was from the forums.

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny Get out

 **[ail304]** _recently:_ _  
_         excuse you, you invited him

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny Right now

 **[ail304]** _recently:_ _  
_         just talk to him irl bitch

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny I’m not kidding

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny

 **[1millionSnails]** _recently:_ _  
_         he’s not spiderman then??

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny I messed up ok

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny God dammit both of you get out

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny It’s not safe there anymore

A feeling of dread settled in his stomach, and Spidey was up before he had even looked away from the screen. The door, still adjar, was violently slammed inwards, bouncing off the wall as it swung around.

 **[LUBBY]** _recently:_  
         @tweeny I cant help if you’re caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> consistent chapter lengths??? what's that?? ??


	17. Spider Forums X

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
Lubby what the fuck is going on

**[1millionSnails]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
tweeny, you still there?

**[ail304]** _ 1 hr ago: _   
@LUBBY Don’t you dare leave

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
@LUBBY

**[LUBBY]** _ recently: _   
Email

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
What

**[BetsAreOff]** _ recently: _   
drhorlesc@forzlen.org

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
What is going on

**[LUBBY]** _ recently: _   
I’m probably caught

**[LUBBY]** _ recently: _   
so guess ill see yall later

**[LUBBY]** _ recently: _   
adios my dudes

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
Dude. No

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
@LUBBY

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
@tweeny please respond

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
@LUBBY COME BACK BITCH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONSISTENT CHAPTER LENGTHS??? WHAT'S THAT?? ??


	18. Email

**From:** cxlnw@umail.com  
**Subject:** [No Subject]  
**To:** drhorlesc@forzlen.org

 

Operations @ bd 4, prosthetic heavily modified, long term effects unobserved, malfunction reports attached

        " _Financial records indicated that Oscorp is funding several private functions, none of which are known to the public."_

^^shady bunch, SP not an ally -> taking him out somhow

lucas bishop missing within the week

Osborns a sleazy guy with cops under his thumb, dont believe anything he says. hes planning something

 

**Attachments: (1)**

_PDF:_ 20180918-Malfuntion-Log

_There was an error opening this document. The file is damaged and could not be repaired.  
_         [ **OK** ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao sorry its short again, i was gonna write a longer chapter before the email, but Im busy today and i wanted to make sure i'd have something out today. weekend shit will go good tho lmao


	19. Mixed Media II

         **[ail304]** _recently:_  
        can anyone spot me 5 for an uber

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        yeah, but also why

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
        Im gonna go get kidnapped with tweeny and spidey

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        That is a bad idea

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
        Then what do you suggest

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Call the cops??

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
        And tell them what? my internet friend isn’t responding and i think he’s at this random address we got from a stranger?

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Yes???

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Thats what happened

**[BetsAreOff]** _ recently: _   
        I wouldn’t recommend calling the police. I’m heading over, I’ll meet you at the address

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        You new yorkers are all idiots apparently

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
        snails im calling you

He barely had time to read the response before his phone screen was taken over by the incoming call. There was a second of hesitation before he answered.

“Ails?”

The was a crackling on the other end, like someone was moving around.  _ “Yeah. I’m in the Uber.” _

Snails almost groaned, sitting up from where he was nestled in his bed. “Ails, I’m gonna call the cops.”

_ “Why?” _

“Just, I’ll just say it was a disturbance. No details or anything.”

_ “That’s not suspicious at all. It’s not like you live in out of state or anything.” _

Snails grumbled and putt his head in his hand. “I’m still doing it.”

_ “Fine, just give me like 5 minutes before you do. Bets will be there anyway.” _

“You haven’t even met Bets before. He could be dangerous.”

_ “Everything about this is dangerous. But if Tweeny’s really in danger, I’m doing something about it” _

“...Right. Five minutes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao this one's just filler. awkward transition sort of stuff. Also guess who didn't post at all on the weekend haaaaaa
> 
> I've got other chapters lined up. I'll post two more today, cuz im a nerd and i wanna post the good stuff now that this dumb filler is outta the way


	20. Security Feed

He was tied to a chair. Arms bound behind his back, ankles bound to the legs of the chair. It really wasn’t comfortable, but Tweeny was a little more focused on not dying of a panic attack. He tried to control his breathing, taking the silence in the room to center his muddled thoughts.

He’d been fucking kidnapped, with Spider-Man of all people.  _ By Oscorp _ . They’d made that abundantly clear by the logos slapped on to pretty much and uniform he looked at. They’d busted down the door (though technically it was already open), shoved him to the ground, and stuffed him and Spidey in the back of a van. And then he woke up in what looked like an empty office, only a metal desk in the corner as company. Just lovely.

How exactly was he supposed to get out of this? He wasn’t a superhero, or anything of the sort. He expected Spidey was already half-way back home by now, but the thought gave him pause. The state Spidey was in when Tweeny found him, was he really going to be able to escape?

Suddenly, there was a light beep, and the door clicked before being pushed open. Behind it stood an Oscorp employee, if the ID badge that snapped back to his waist was anything to go by. Tweeny found himself holding his breath as the man walked closer, door clicking shut behind him.

“Wha—What do you want with me?” he asked, practically choking on his own spit.

The employee didn’t respond, simply watching Tweeny with a frown on his face. Then, he spoke.

“What were you doing with the Spider-Man?”

“Wh— I, that’s none of your business,” Tweeny responded indignantly.

“Oh, I think it is,” the man said, stepping closer. He raised a hand towards Tweeny, and he couldn’t help but flinch. “I told you to leave, after all.”

The man tapped Tweeny’s nose is an almost playful manner, and Tweeny jerked back in surprise. He looked back to the man’s face, and he was grinning like a goddamn punchable  _ fuckhead _ .

“Fuck off, Lubby!” he screeched. “You work at Oscorp? What the fuck?!”

Lubby’s grin widened, showing off his teeth. “Thought you’d be taller.”

“Answer the question!”

“Yes the fuck, then.” Lubby pulled his gaze off of Tweeny and circled around the chair he was tied to, crouching down behind it and fishing around in his pockets.

“Oh, that explains everything, thanks,” Tweeny mumbled, twisting to try and see what the other was doing.

“No problem.” Lubby had started to work at cutting away the strange wires around his wrists, though it seemed to be taking quite a bit of effort with the simple pocket knife he had.

Tweeny huffed dramatically. “You’re more annoying in person.”

Lubby made a vague clicking noise in response.

“So, what, you’ve been... leaking us info? Why? Couldn't— You coulda told someone important, or like,  _ done something _ beyond being vague and annoying as fuck.”

“Rude. I did plenty,” came Lubby’s bored voice.

Suddenly, the cords snapped, and Tweeny’s hands were free. He took a second to rub them before reaching down to his ankles, loosening the knots and slipping his feet out. Once free, he jumped up and stretched, turning to look at Lubby.

“You’ll want this.” The man handed a slim object over, and it took Tweeny a second to register that it was his phone.

“When did they take this?” Tweeny hollered, and Lubby just shrugged.

“Stand on the desk,” he instructed. “The panels are removable, just jump at one of them and climb up.”

“Climb— What?? And do what?”

“Uh, escape?”

“Don’t they have, like, cameras everywhere?”

“Not in the ceilings,” Lubby responded. “Get up there, lose ‘em before they figure out you’re gone.”

Tweeny huffed, climbing onto the desk in the corner and jumping upwards. He jabbed at a panel, dislodging it before jumping again and grabbing the ledge. He wiggled around in the air, awkwardly trying to pull himself up before Lubby pushed at his thighs, helping him up the rest of the way.

“Get to the vents,” he advised, his voice slightly muffled through the tiles. “They’ll be the only exits that aren’t doors or windows, not to mention those tiles can be flimsy. Not built to bare weight.”

“What’ll you do?” Tweeny hissed back, twisting around to peer out of the gap in the ceiling.

Lubby flashed his ID, pulling it away from his belt before he let go, the zip cord snapping the blue badge back in place. “I’m covered. Get going, would you?”

“Yeah, yeah, uh, thanks,” Tweeny mumbled, though Lubby seemed to ignore him. He grabbed the loose panel and shoved it back into place before crawling forwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow look at that, it's another chapter. isn't meeting our forum buddies fun. also where tf is spiderman, this fic is about him right


	21. Spider Forums XI

         **[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ guys idk what the fuck to do

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ im in the ceiling

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Are you okay???

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ no im in the ceiling and im panicking

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Do you know where you are?

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ the ceiling

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        I mean like, building-wise

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Ails and bets are going to the address on that letter lubby sent a while back

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ theyre coming to get me?

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        hopefully, if they’re going to the right place

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ i dont know, its definitely oscorp tho

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ what about spidey

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Did they take him too??

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ yeah but i was out for the ride over so idk where he is

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        He can manage himself

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ youd think

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        more importantly how did you get out??

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ im not out yet

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ im in

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ the ceiling

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        I get that, I mean how did you get in the ceiling

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ lubby showed up

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Lubby???

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ works here

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ helped me out

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Wait but he said he couldn’t

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_??

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        When he was freaking out in the forums, he said he couldn’t help if you were caught

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ well obviously that wasnt true

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Can the dude just be straight with us for once

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_ thats what i said

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Did he explain anything when you talked to him?

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        Tweeny?

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        @tweeny ?

**[1millionSnails]** _ recently: _   
        dude???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, three chapters within three minutes of each other. isn't that lovely? consistency is not my strong suit


	22. Security Feed II

Ropes cut, nerd gone, cameras rolling. Oh yeah, things were definitely heating up. Practically boiling at this point. He’d say that he felt like a frog boiling in water, but that wasn’t true. He saw a steaming pot on the stove and thought he’d take a bath.

With a wry glance at the small security camera, he plopped into the vacated chair, flipping out his phone. Those tapping games weren’t going to tap themselves, now were they?

So maybe jumping into a hot tub on a stove top wasn’t that best idea. Maybe getting all buddy buddy with Oscorp wasn’t a good idea. Maybe sabotaging his own project was a bad idea. He’d promised results, hadn’t he? He’d shipped half the results off to Pennsylvania, the other half to rot in the Hudson.

How was Pennsylvania doing, anyway? Hopefully had a more put-together plan, even if all he had to do was hide a dumb rat.

And that was quite the testament to his own morality, huh? Can’t even let a dumb rat die. Entire career, down the drain at one hint of danger. One stray comment about super-serums and test subjects, and he’s bouncing off the walls to sabotage the entire crew.

Oscorp was back to square one. That was something, at least. Now, just to wait and see how brutal Oscorp could really be.

In just a few minutes, the room was swarmed by security guards. Lubby just smiled at them. “O hay guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow whats this a new chapter??? a really funking short chapter???? lmao whoops, sorry guys
> 
> bug me in the comments, i swear it really helps with my writing drive lol


	23. Mixed Media III

“Snails, what the _fuck_. I said don’t call the cops...”

“He didn’t call them”

Ail definitely did not jump at the voice behind her. She definitely didn’t screech either. “ _Christ in hell_ — Who are you?”

“I thought the sweater would be a dead giveaway.” The woman gestured to a bright, Spider-Man themed sweater around her shoulders.

After a second of squinting, Ail shook her head. “Nope. I’m a dumbass. Spell it out for me.”

“...It’s Bets. From the forum.”

“BETS.” Ail pointed triumphantly. “THE SPIDER-MERCH.”

Bets looked far from impressed. “...Yes. Now get in the car.” She swung around and sauntered down the sidewalk, pulling a set of keys from the sweater pockets.

Ail followed after a second of pause, a slight skip in her step in order to catch up with the taller woman. “Hold on, what about the apartment? We should tell the cops what we know.”

Bets nodded. “In a perfect world, yeah.” Arriving at a sleek black car, hard to spot in the dark of the night, Bets unlocked the car and pulled open the door to the driver’s side.

“Not to be untrusting,” Ail spoke over the roof of the car, “But I’m kinda getting creepy vibes from you right now. Don’t-get-in-the-car kinds of vibes.”

Bets threw Ail an impatient look, but nonetheless, did not enter the car, instead allowing the conversation to continue above it. “And what am I supposed to do about that?”

“Well, first off, why aren’t we talking to the cops?” Ail asked with a point to the distant apartment complex. Police cars were parked haphazardly around the curb, and rather official looking whoevers were pacing back and forth around the entrance.

“They’re on Oscorp’s payroll,” Bets responded without hesitation. “And they’re here for clean up.”

“And you know that _how_?”

“Intuition.”

“Oh, _that’s_ helpful.”

Bets glared. “Just get inside. We’re too close to them as-is.”

“...Fine, but I’ve got one of those safety app things, so one wrong move and everyone I know is gonna know that I’ve been kidnapped by a crazy person I met on a forum.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Soon situated in the vehicle Bets pulled them out onto the road and towards a busier street. The woman was tense, glancing in the rear-view mirror much more than Ail thought was necessary. It was only after they were stopped at their fourth busy intersection that she seemed to relax.

“Oh my god, were we being followed?”

Bets glanced over at her passenger, giving an rather expectant look.

“You really are a CIA Agent. I was fucking right.”

Bets snorted. “I am not a CIA Agent.”

“Then how are you so composed with all this stuff?” Ail questioned. “And you run into heroes and stuff all the time, apparently.”

Bets frowned, easing the car forwards as the light turned green. “Not all the time.”

“More of the time than me. That’s all the time. So what do you do?”

Bets shifted in her seat, angling her shoulders back and huffing out a sigh. “I’m a doctor.”

“...For superheroes?”

“For anyone who can’t go to a normal hospital.”

Ail refused to take her gaze off of Bets, scrutinizing her for an awkward few seconds. “And you wear Spider-Man merch while doing it.”

“Oh my God.”

There was a long moment of silence, Bets slowly navigating the busy main streets of NYC. It was awkward, to say the last, and Ail found herself avoiding looking at Bets. She never had the intent of meeting anyone from the forums in real life, but there was something about Tweeny going missing less than five minutes from her apartment that got her out there. And now she was stuck in a car with a practical stranger, driving far, _far_ away from her apartment.

“...Where are we going?”

“Oscorp. 4th research facility.”

Ail twisted around to look at Bets in concern. “I thought we wanted to _avoid_ Oscorp. Why are we going there?”

Bets heaved a sigh, clearly trying to figure out the best way to explain the situation. “We... I got an email from Lubby, back before he stopped responding.”

Ail nodded. “I remember that bit.”

“It was dumb and vague, but he said building number four was important. Among other things.”

“And that was the sender’s address on the letter about that prosthetic.”

Bets raised an eyebrow in surprise at Ail, who looked mildly offended by the gesture.

“What? I have a memory, you know.”

Bets shook her head, the ghost of a smile on her lips. “Yes. I have a feeling that Oscorp decided they were done with offering Spider-Man an easy way to turn himself in.”

Ail paused to process the implications before grimacing. “Oh, that’s gross! They weren’t even offering a prosthetic, they were threatening him! And he didn’t respond, and now they just kidnapped him, cuz they have his DNA and they _know who he is_!”

Bets nodded. “And Tweeny was there at the wrong time.”

Ail growled, yanking out her cell and tapping furiously.

Bets gave what could almost be described as a worried glance. “Did I say something?”

“What? No, no. I’m texting Snails to let him know where we’re going. No emergency save-me apps, don’t worry.”

With a slight nod, Bets diverted her full attention back to the road. “We’ll be there in five.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here, take a longer chapter as consolation for that last chapter. we actually doing plot stuff. also uh, i'd keep an eye on the tags if i were you. they change sometimes as i figure out what im actually doing with this story ._.;
> 
> thanks for sticking around when literally the majority of this fanfic is just dumb ocs worrying like awkward spider-fans


	24. Security Feed III

Lubby wasn’t kidding, those tiles were flimsy. Maybe he shouldn’t have stopped to check the forums. The floor (ceiling??) collapsed under him, and Tweeny found himself crashing down into a hallway with a screech.

“Shit!”

It took him a second to recover, rubbing a sore arm with an equally sore hand. And then he looked up. He seriously regretted looking up.

He was in some sort of office, way bigger than it needed to be, and a crowd of people a few feet away. They all turned to look at the commotion, and Tweeny was able to recognize two people: Lubby, sat in a swanky yet uncomfortable looking lobby chair with a surprised expression on his face, and Norman Osborn, the CEO of Oscorp who showed up in the papers all too often.

There was a stretch of silence, as one would probably expect considering the ceiling wasn’t the most tradition entrance to a room, but the security guards shook it off quickly.

Two guards lunged forwards, grabbing Tweeny by the arms and hauling him up before he could think to do anything. Cuz y’know, if he had time to think, he totally would have dropkicked one and made a break for it.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he squeaked with a weak struggle. “I was— I didn’t mean to interrupt, just pa—passing... through...” He trailed off as he met Osborn’s steady gaze, swallowing thickly at the silence that enveloped the room.

“...Boys,” Osborn spoke after a deafening second. “You can let the boy go. Wouldn’t want to be rude to our guest.”

The guards complied without a word, and Tweeny suddenly felt very out-of-place. Even more-so than before.

“...Guest...?”

Osborn nodded. “I’m so sorry about the miscommunications. You see, we were concerned that you might pose a threat to our client. But, well, now we know better.”

Tweeny had ducked his head, staring at Osborn from under the ridge of his brow. “...Do you..?”

Osborn smiled, and Tweeny twisted slightly to glance at Lubby who sat beyond the CEO. He was practically glaring daggers, and Tweeny found himself looking away after only a short moment of eye contact.

Osborn met the eyes of the guard to Tweeny’s left. “Escort Mr. Hallman to the lobby, if you’d please. I have a meeting to finish up.”

And that sent a shiver down his spine, put bricks in his shoes. They knew his  _ name _ , they knew who he  _ was _ . Tweeny didn’t even have any reason to need to keep that a secret, and yet...

God, what had that been like for Spider-Man? Because Oscorp knew who he was, they  _ had to  _ know.

A guard gently steered him towards the doors with a hand on the small of his back, and Tweeny found it rather hard to walk straight. Where was Spidey, exactly? Was he out? What he still in the building? Was he  _ ever _ in the building? Was he  _ safe _ ?

He managed to get his unsteady feet to the threshold before he was jerked out of his thoughts.

“It’s funny, you throw all this away to help someone who wasn’t even in danger,” came Osborn’s voice from behind his back

“Fuck off.” And that sounded like Lubby, but Tweeny had no time to check before the guards herded him out the double doors of the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we found tweeny :D still missing spidey though. again.
> 
> i have no idea what im doing lol, this fanfic is honestly a mess


	25. Heart Monitor

“m a... gonna.....re  gret thi s........”

The words are clouded. He knows them, but doesn’t know when the they’re cut off or when they’ve been finished. He knows what they each mean, but he can’t comprehend what they mean together. The entire world is foggy, and he just wants to _sleep_.

“S  pid ey.. ? Bu ddy.... on  lly got s o  much tim e.”

He blinks, but he can’t focus. A body moves in front of him, far too fast. Nothing can move that fast. It makes him feel sick, so he closes his eyes.

“...o, no, s pide... Man. Spider-Man!”

That’s him. He’s listening.

“..isten, os born  hasa.... ser um...n ot  worin g....civi lian s   tot es t. Use th em a.. deco.....”

He blinks, trying to understand the jumbled mess of words. The mass in front of him pauses, and the voice shudders to a stop, so he closes his eyes again.

“No pe, n.... don e.. Peopl e  a re in  danger.”

He gets that. He understands that part. Why? What’s wrong?

“O sb orn,  sp  idey....”

What’s Osborn doing?

“..ille  g al.”

That’s not good.

“No.... ts not.”

Gotta stop him.

“yo u  can..t..... ge..  help..ake t his”

What?

“Tell s om.... chipsa re   dan..rous.”

Wait, go back...

“S...ide  y, he... elly ou  itsafe..... N  ot s afe.”

He can’t...

“gon.. a lie to   yo ..u b ut..”

He... he can’t....

“Don   tdi so..e  y...yo ull nee d  hel p....”

He can’t stay awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm. this fic is really disorganized


	26. JARVIS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so this isn't really mcu, but it also kinda is, but what you need to know is Spidey has a longer standing as a super-hero than iron man, and tony's never actually met peter parker in this fic whoops

_“Sir, it appears the primary fuse has blown again.”_

“Shit.” Tony Stark pulled back from the circuitry in front of him, yanking a thicker red cord towards him to inspect it. “It’s too delicate,” he mumbled. “Can’t take all the little details.”

_“Sir, if I could make a suggestion.”_

Tony grunted.

_“Perhaps some rest would help you to fix the problem. You haven’t gotten more than sixteen hours this week.”_

“Gee, wish I’d thought of that,” came the grumbled response. Tony didn’t heed the suggestion, instead snaking his hands through the wires and wiggling the red cable out of the circuit board across the table, tossing it to the ground. “Maybe using two cables would be a better idea.”

 _“At the risk of lowering the response time,”_ JARVIS chipped in.

Tony hummed. “I can work on that.”

And so the tired man stumbled over to the other side of the lab, fishing out some fresh wires and a new port. He dragged them back to the table and wrapped the thin conductors around a gold nub.

“It’s gonna need something to hold it in place,” he muttered, focusing on maneuvering the tiny cables with his shaking hands. “Too much loose space. Some kind of spring clamp should work.”

_“With the maneuverability desired, a spring clamp could easily fray the wires, as well as make replacements harder to install.”_

There was a pause, Tony’s hands going still before he huffed out a sigh. “Right. Right. A screw lock cable, then. Two of em.” He resumed his work, twisting the tiny wires around the gold nub.

_“Sir—”_

“What?!”

_“A screw lock would require you to remove the wires from the gold conductor.”_

“...Right.” And then Tony was undoing his progress, pulling the wires back the way he’d pushed them until the cables were free once more. “I’ll need to instal a different port, too.”

_“That is correct, Sir.”_

But instead of moving to do so, Tony heaved a sigh, pushing his fingers against his face as if he could rub away all the stress.

_“Sir, may I inquire as to why you are so invested in this project?”_

“Hmmn?” Tony hummed, not pulling his hands away from his face.

_“When you first had the idea, you tagged the folder as a joke project.”_

Another sigh, apparently now part of Tony’s vocabulary, and Tony crossed his arms. “Spidey’s gonna need some way to get around, won’t he? Might as well stick with the whole creepy-crawly theme...”

_“And why exactly are you designing technology for Spider-Man?”_

Tony fell silent, simply staring at the jumble of wires before him.

JARVIS knew that Tony had a sort of admiration for Spider-Man. The arachnid had been around for quite a while, and he was almost always a solo act. Tony romanticized that concept. He thought it was valiant to keep to yourself when doing something so dangerous.

(JARVIS thought Tony just didn’t want to admit he enjoyed the company of the newly founded Avengers.)

And then Spider-Man went and got his leg ripped off, and he vanished without a trace. No medical records of traumatic amputations, no rumors of coworkers who suddenly lost a limb; Spider-Man just vanished. Tony hadn’t gone out on a solo mission since.

“He hasn’t come back, J,” came Tony’s quiet voice. “No one knows where he is, or if he’s even still alive.”

JARVIS remained silent, unsure of how to respond. Tony continued through the silence.

“I’ve followed the damn spider from start to finish— God, I don’t want this to be the finish.”

Tony had no control over it, though, and JARVIS suspected that if the hero never returned Iron Man might not either. Or at least, not with Tony Stark inside.

“Why's he such a stickler for a secret identity?” Tony practically whined, his hands jerking about to express his frustration. “I can’t find _anything_ , and what good does it do him? He’s probably— _God_ , J, he’s probably rotting in some apartment somewhere. They won’t find him until someone complains about the smell, and even then, who’s gonna know they’ve got the half rotten corpse of _Spider-Man_ in their morgue—?”

 _“Sir,”_ JARVIS interrupted firmly. _“Your sheets have been changed and a fresh pair of clothes is waiting on your dresser. I would recommend a shower before bed.”_

“Before— JARVIS, are you sending me to bed?” Tony looked incredulous, and more than a little annoyed, but at least he wasn’t panicking anymore.

_“Yes, Sir.”_

Tony laughed, shaking his head. “You can’t do that.”

 _“Of course not, Sir.”_ And despite JARVIS’ words, the lights in the lab began to shut off, and Tony was left with only the open doorway as a source of light. JARVIS made sure the only open path was directly to Tony’s bedroom.

“Wow. Okay. This is not what I pictured when they said ‘robot uprising.’”

_“Sleep well, Sir.”_

Tony simply snorted, starting towards the door. “One thing though, J.”

_“Yes, Sir?”_

“Check... uh, check the news for any missed rent payments, or.. or tenant complaints... or something.”

_“...Of course, Sir.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao spidey's alive but tony doesn't know that
> 
> this chapter's pretty much dedicated to ScarletNightFury, they got me thinking about the avengers and now i've actually got an idea for how this fanfic'll end, so thank them for this chapter lol


	27. Mixed Media IV

The lobby was just as swanky as the office had been, and Tweeny really wanted to reconsider his word choice there. Who even said swanky? No one said swanky, except for maybe him, and he was not a trend setter, so there was no doubt in his mind that he’d just sound like an idiot if he said it out loud.

God, had he said it out loud before? He probably had. Maybe. He really couldn’t think straight at the moment. Or walk straight, it seemed, because he soon found himself with a face full of fake plant leaves. You’d think they could afford the real thing at Oscorp.

Brushing away the plastic surrounding him, Tweeny felt a surge of anger. Mostly at himself, if he was honest. He’d fucked up. Didn’t listen to what anyone told him, went and got caught twice, even after Lubby helped him out. He was probably the reason Oscorp nabbed Spidey, too.

Really, he should have stayed home.

Abruptly, his phone buzzed, and Tweeny fished it out to be greeted by a notification from the forum.

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
@tweeny are you hiding in a plant

**[tweeny]** _recently:_ _  
_          i am not??

**[ail304]** _ recently: _   
        you’re a liar and a coward, plant man. I see you typing

Tweeny pulled his head up, and sure enough, a smug faced stranger was staring him down from across the lobby.

The stranger—Ail, not a stranger—approached. “So you’re telling me,” she said without preamble, “that I came all the way to this shitty ass side of town for a some heroic rescue mission, and you already got out on your own.”

“I didn’t really— Lubby did, something... Uuh, I just kinda, I don’t know.”

“Wow. Stop talking, you’re really bad at it.”

Tweeny had enough sense in him to look offended at the statement. “Wait, Snails said— Is Bets here?”

Ail jabbed a thumb towards the glass doors. “In the car. She didn’t want to be visibly associated with Oscorp. At least, that’s what she said, but she’s also wearing a bright red Spider-Man sweater, so I think it has more to do with that.”

Tweeny simply blinked in response, a sort of fog settled over his mind after the adrenaline rush of the century had just assaulted him. Ail took the hint.

“C’mon, car’s not far.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im really tired, i did not sleep last night. the sun is still rising. i needed to finishthis dumb filler so i can get to the fun stuff agin. also there are so many names that end in -y in this dumbass story lol


	28. Heart Monitor II

“You gave us quite a bit of trouble there, Mr. Parker.”

He still feels like he’s dreaming, but this time around, his ears are actually working.

“But I’m glad to see you finally came to your senses.” A palm claps down onto his leg, something of a friendly gesture, but it just makes him feel sick. “The next step is therapy, and the doctor’s say you’ll be walking in no time.”

Walking. Right.

“The sooner you get back out there, the better. You’re doing a great thing, Mr. Parker. Spider-Man using Oscorp prosthetics? Publicity will skyrocket!”

Right...

“I’ll leave you to rest. Big day tomorrow, after all.”

Yeah. Super big.

The man walks out, shutting the door in his wake, and Peter is left alone. He doesn’t move, staring at the ceiling and taking stock of the situation. There’s a blood pressure cuff around his right bicep, a pulse oximeter on his index finger. There’s an IV port in his left forearm, taped to the skin with a tube trailing away from him. He doesn’t know what’s in the IV drip. That scares him.

But it doesn’t scare him more than what he’s ignoring. His breathing echoes through his skull, and he shifts his left leg. He knows that one. The weight is familiar. He refuses to look away from the ceiling as he bends his leg to the side, feeling for something that shouldn’t be there.

His toes hit something hard and cold.

 _God_ , they really did it, didn’t they? He’s done his research; he knows how it works. They’d put him under, cut away at his skin and muscle, drilled metal clamps into his bones and bolted a plastic base to the end of the stump they’d mutilated. Then, they screwed on a leg, stuck a chip in his neck. (Like a fucking wireless mouse. They’d be able to resync the chip with another leg if he wanted an upgrade.)

He feels sick. He can’t breathe. His body curls up against his will, pain shooting up his limb as the bandages around the surgical site strain against the movement.

His chest jerks. He didn’t want this. He doesn’t _want this_.

But he’d signed something, hadn’t he? When they threatened to hurt that kid, the one they had tied up in some empty office, he’d signed something. Then they whisked him off to the OR. Why did he have to give a _damn_ about that stranger? _Why_?

A choked sound escapes him with his next breath, surprising himself by the sudden noise. He pulls his fisted hands towards his face, trying to hide himself from the world. _God_ , this isn’t—

Something is in his hand. His breathing stutters once more, and Peter peers into his right hand through foggy eyes.

A piece of paper.

A phone number.

_youll  need help_

He needs help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woooooooow, two chapters in 5 five minutes, nice. remember when i used to update this fic on a semi-regular schedule? that was wild


	29. Dash Cam

“So where’s Spider-Man?”

That was the first thing Bets decided to ask when Tweeny crawled into the back of the car. Didn’t much help Tweeny’s nerves. “Uh, he— We didn’t, I mean...”

Bets glanced in the rear-view mirror at her second passenger, something like those dramatic FBI movies or whatever. The effect really should have been ruined by the bright red superhero sweater she wore. It wasn't. “You don’t know.”

“Kinda got kidnapped.”

Bets conceded, pulling the car out onto the road.

From the passenger seat, Ail spoke. “You’re a terrible babysitter.” She was focused on the phone in her lap, tapping away at the screen distractedly. And maybe if she had been watching, she would have seen a flash of anger on Tweeny’s face.

“Easiest job in the world without Oscorp,” Tweeny mumbled, shifting his eyes to the side window.

Ail snorted. “What kind of babysitter can’t take out an armed squadron with his bare hands?”

A small laugh escaped him, only slightly easing the discomfort in his gut.

“So, Spidey,” Ail continued. “What’s he like in person?”

“I don’t know, he was just— He was so out of it. Like, he didn’t even get a hit in, they just, just grabbed him.”

Ail twisted around in her seat. “He didn’t put up a fight?”

“No, no, he did, but it was— It wasn’t...” Tweeny wiggled his hands around sharply, trying to express what he couldn’t figure out how to say. “He was like a cat that didn't wanna be picked up.”

“Cats can be pretty vicious.”

“Yeah, but he— It wasn’t, it shouldn’t have been like that!” Tweeny yanked one of his restless hands through his hair. “He’s a superhero! I’ve seen him stop trucks! Why couldn’t he...?”

“Never meet your heroes.”

Bets glanced back again as they rolled up to a red light. “I wouldn’t expect him to be in peak health if he’s practically been a hermit for the past few months.”

Tweeny nodded, though it was lost to the driver who kept her gaze on the road. “Don’t think he was eating right... Or doing much of anything right, really.”

“What, he’s living off fritos like I said in the forum like, four days ago?” Ail asked with a grimace. “That was meant to be a joke.”

“Definitely wouldn’t help him fend off Oscorp,” Bets reasoned.

Tweeny gave a sigh. “Doubt I helped anything.”

“What were you supposed to do?” Ail asked.

“I don’t, I don’t know, _something_. I made— I messed everything up. I can’t just do nothing.”

“You think you caused that? Bullshit. Oscorp has their own agenda, y’know.”

Quiet enveloped the vehicle, and Tweeny turned to watch the passing traffic out his window.  “Shouldn’t have gone.”

“Maybe not.”

Ail swiveled to watch Bets, her eyebrows raised. “No tact in real life, either, huh?”

“Oh, come off it. Lubby shouldn’t have been giving away Spider-Man’s address to a bunch of strangers, and Tweeny shouldn’t have been snooping around a stranger’s house.”

“So if we stayed out of it, Oscorp wouldn’t have stolen his leg, tracked him down, and busted down his door and kidnapped him?” Ail said in disbelief.

“I didn’t say that,” Bets ground out. “Oscorp would have done that anyway, but that doesn’t mean we have any right to get involved in Spider-Man’s personal business. Or enter his house.”

“...Okay, maybe we got a bit stalker-ish, but we can definitely meddle with Oscorp.”

Bets cast a wry glance her way. “What are you suggesting?”

“I don’t know. Go to some news station with all the shit Lubby gave us, start a hashtag, set something on fire. Get the people mad, y'know?”

“We can’t do much against a multi-million dollar company.”

“You’ve never seen someone get doxxed before, have you?”

“Odds are, we won’t pick up any steam.”

“Still worth trying though. Compile the information, get the word out.” Ail turned to her phone as she spoke.

Bets’ grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Glad it’s just a recommendation—” Ail’s quip fell short and she frowned down at the screen in front of her. “The forum’s down.”

Tweeny glanced over. “It is?”

“404 and everything.”

“...They grabbed Lubby,” he started. That bit was his fault.

“So they know about the forum?”

“So they know about all of us,” Bets concluded, her voice bitter.

Tweeny slumped in his seat, mimicking the lump that had settled in his gut. His fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i expect that most of yall are reading for the uh, spider-man stuff, not these awkward character's fumbling around lol
> 
> sorry bout that


	30. Mixed Media V

They arrived at Bets’ apartment not too long after, and Tweeny was relieved that she invited them inside. He really needed a nap, or a tub of ice cream. Or both. Best way to deal with your emotions. Or maybe just some water.

“You have anything to drink?”

Bets nodded as she toed her shoes off at the entrance. “Cups are left of the fridge. There’s milk, maybe some orange juice. Tap is fine too.”

With a nod, he wandered over to the small kitchen in search of a glass. He didn’t get to the cupboards before Ail made him freeze.

“What the fuck is that?!”

Tweeny whirled around, back against the counter as his eyes flitted across the room. “What?!”

“On your _neck_ ,” came Ail’s response.

“On my _what_?”

“Your _neck_ , it’s _flashing_.”

Tweeny looked about ready to faint as Bets stood, striding over to him and spinning him around roughly. She placed a firm hand on the back of his head to force him to look down, getting a better look at his neck. There, at the base of his skull, was a small, flashing light under the skin.

“Am I am bomb,” Tweeny whispered in dread.

“No,” came Bets’ firm voice. “But possibly a tracking device.”

“What the actual fuck,” came Ail’s voice as she inspected Tweeny as well.

Tweeny felt a shiver run down his spine, and a hand bolted up to the back of his neck, rubbing vigorously as he spun to face the two. “EUEUhg, what the _fuck_?! Wh—When— Did Oscorp— Was it—they do???”

“Try finishing one of those sentences,” Bets said.

By now, Tweeny had both his hands on his neck. “Ahhh, that’s so creepy, what the fuuuuuck!”

Bets turned back to the couch, grabbing her bag. “I can cut it out if you want.”

When she turned to look back towards the kitchen, Tweeny was literally cowering behind the island. “DON’T YOU TOUCH ME WITH YOUR NEEDLES.”

“No numbing agents then.”

Ail gave a humorless snort. “Don’t traumatize him.”

“I’m not the reason he should be scared.”

“You have no sense of tact,” Tweeny hissed.

“It’s true, Tweeny.” Bets regarded him carefully before giving a slight sigh. “Oscorp stuck some unknown technology into your head, who knows where else. They put that thing in you without consent, and their financial influence means that you can’t do much about it.”

Tweeny looked sick at the implications. “Wh—What do you mean, I can’t do much?”

“Unless you can swing a public scandal and scare the press, Oscorp will very easily use their money to brush you under the rug.”

“We could start a hashtag,” Ail suggested again. “Just saying.”

Bets huffed. “Most of those trends don’t catch any wind. It won’t do anything but get Oscorp angry at us.”

“They shut down the forum, Bets. They’re already angry at us.”

“Have you checked on Snails?”

Her brow furrowed,  Ail turned to face Bets. “What do you mean?”

“He’s the one who set up that website,” Bets explained as she crossed her arms. “He’s the only one not with us. I doubt he shut down the site on his own.”

A thick silence followed, Ail at the center of it. She pulled her phone out, scrolling through screen after screen and no doubt trying to get into contact with Snails. After a second, she pulled the phone to her ear.

_“We're sorry; you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is—”_

Ail hung up before the automated message finished.

Tweeny, twisting his fingers around in his other hand, broke it. “W—What do you think—?”

“I’m calling around to see if anyone has heard from him.” Ail fished through her contacts for half a second before swinging around to face Tweeny. “You’re gonna put together everything you remember from the forum, along with the shit you went through with Oscorp. Pictures of that thing on your neck, too. You,” she turned back to Bets, “Are forwarding him that email from Lubby and then shutting up.”

Bets simply scowled. “No can do.”

“What is it with you?” Ail jabbed her phone towards Bets, Tweeny sheepishly watching the exchange from the kitchen. “What’s it matter what we do?”

“Maybe you kids don’t get it. Oscorp isn’t going to play nice. They aren’t going to let you slander them, and they definitely aren’t going to let you say anything even remotely true about what they’re doing with Spider-Man.”

“So we’re just supposed to roll over?”

“I have clients to protect,” Bets hissed. “Oscorp already has enough on me to expose everything I’ve ever done, and everyone I’ve ever treated. We threaten them, and they aren’t going to be shy about fucking everything up. This is not ‘rolling over,’ Ail. It’s keeping hundreds of people _safe_.”

“Wait, what— What do you do?” Tweeny interjected, shrinking back as Bets’ dark gaze shifted to him.

“She’s an underground doctor,” Ail supplied, but she didn’t stop watching Bets. “Half of the people you treat are literally criminals!”

“And the other half are literally _heroes_. It’s not my job to pass judgments. They come to me knowing that I won’t rat them out, and Oscorp’s about ready to ruin that entire understanding!”

“That’s fucked up, Bets!” Ail couldn’t keep herself from shouting. “You can’t treat bad guys! That’s pretty fucking counter-productive!”

Angrily, Bets yanked the bright red sweater off, shoving it into Ail’s chest. “It is not my job,” she ground out, forcibly twisting Ail around by her shoulders and shoving her towards the door, “to _pass_ _judgments_. Now _get out._ ”

“W, Wait, Bets—”

“This is my apartment,” Bets hissed. “Get out, go check on your friend, and _don’t come back_.”

“Fine, just get off of me.” Shrugging Bets’ hand off her shoulder, Ail had a nasty look on her face. But she left without another word, taking the sweater with her.

Tweeny was left feeling very out of place in the kitchen, watching as Bets breathed deeply to regain her composure. A tense silence prevailed, even as she turned around and stalked back to her living room. She plopped onto the couch, leaning back and glaring at the ceiling. Then,

“Unless you want that thing out of you neck, I’d suggest you leave too. I’m not in the mood for company.”

Tweeny rubbed at the chip sticking out of his skin, feeling sick as he felt it shift.

“...Yeah, yeah, if you’re willing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall i need fanfiction buddies so bad, i have no one to talk to about this stuff


	31. The Spider Forums XII

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 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ Guys i feel left out

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ Just cuz im in another state doesn't mean you can ignore me

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ Really though, I’d love some confirmation that everyone is ok??

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ last i heard Tweeny was in a plant??

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ Seems like a relatively safe place, but i still would like answers

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ @ail304  Are you getting any of my texts? my phone’s freaking out

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     .. .  .., ,

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ ???

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ Lubby what is going on, why aren’t you telling us anything?

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ I’m not here for games, these people are my friends.

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     not

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ wait are you ok???

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ are you ever going to answer my questions

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     nope

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ thanks

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     np

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ It’s like you’ve got 2 brains

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ How can i believe anything you’re saying

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     mkay, then dont. see what happens :)

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ oh

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ tthanks for the warning

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     _This comment has been removed for violating the terms of service._

 **[1millionSnails]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_ .

 **[LUBBY]** _7 hrs ago:_ _  
_     sorry

 

_Refreshing page...._

 

 **Whoops! Nothing’s here!**   
Did you type in the URL correctly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah this is a lot of filler with not a lot of answers, sorry
> 
> im really trying to find the time and motivation to write, but 11 hour work days suck the life out of you ;-;


	32. Phone Call

Four days into it, and Osborn is already breathing down his neck to get back out there, sell the product. Never mind the fact that he can barely look at the technology hanging from his mangled calf without feeling sick to his stomach. He can still barely walk on it. Forget running. Forget jumping. Forget wall-crawling. Not that the tech even has the ability to stick to anything like the rest of him.

It’s probably a mentality thing. Really, he’s been able to stick to walls through the soles of his tennis shoes before, and that makes absolutely no sense. He feels like he should be able to figure something out, find an alternative. Even if he can’t figure how the hell his crazy powers work, he knows how to make things. He’s smart, he can build something, some kind of adhesive whatever.

But he can’t anymore. If he could, he wouldn’t be in the situation in the first place. He would’ve created his own solution, gone back to swinging round New York as fast as he could. Spider-Man would have figured it out, gotten over it.

But he didn’t do that. Spider-Man vanished the second he got home. Then he was just a kid with a bloodied stump and no health insurance. And for all the good Spider-Man had done for other people, he couldn’t tell Peter how to deal with it.

“You can’t trust hospitals.”

That’s all he got. And he hasn’t gotten much since. He can’t think straight, can barely focus even when he wants to, can barely get out of bed when he needs to. Everything that made him Spider-Man melted away the longer he wasted away in his apartment.

Oscorp just made it worse, and now they're trying to pull Spider-Man back into the action, trying to put him back together with all the wrong pieces. It won’t work, Peter thinks. It won’t end well. Spider-Man isn’t that much anymore, and neither is Peter, but Oscorp hasn’t figured that out yet.

Peter Parker isn’t sure if Spider-Man is going to make it out of this alive.

He’s at a loss for what to do about that.

“You’ll need help.”

Yeah, he needs a lot of help, He’s pretty fucked up right now, but he has a vague feeling that whoever gave him this number wasn’t thinking about his mental health. Which begs the question, what exactly were they talking about?

He wants to know what that blob of colors wanted. He dials the number on the crumple scrap of paper.

_“Hello?”_

That’s... not the right voice. Is that the right voice?

_“...Hello..?”_

He feels gagged by his own breath. It’s not supposed to be this hard. “I, uh. Who is this?”

The pause is nearly tangible. _“W— You called me. Who are you?”_

“I’m,” not sure how to explain. Not sure how to answer that question anymore. He can’t be Spider-Man anymore, now can he? Spider-Man disappeared months ago. “You gave me your number.”

_“...I did not...?”_

Peter doesn’t know what to do with that. He’s getting choked up, feels like an idiot, his only lifeline sounds like a dead end. He isn’t sure what he wanted, but that didn’t make him feel any less lost.  he’s desperate for something.

“Do you know anything about Oscorp?” he tries slowly.

 _“Os— What do you, I mean,”_ The voice seems breathless, and Peter has the feeling he’s prying in the right direction. _“Who, who is this? Lubby?”_

He’s heard that name before. Where has he heard that name? It’s not a normal name. “No, no, that’s not me. I’m uh, I’m looking for him.”

_“...And you’re with Oscorp?”_

Peter feels the weight dragging down his leg, feels his body shift away from the limb that isn’t really his. “...Sort of.”

 _“I’m not— I won’t, tell you, I mean—”_ A pause, the stranger draws in a breath. _“I don’t know anything.”_

That stuttering is far too familiar for Peter’s liking. “I just want to know how to contact him.”

_“Can you guys just— We’re not gonna cause— cause any trouble okay? Just leave us alone. I don’t know anything about Lubby.”_

It hits him a little more slowly than he’s used to, like a part of his brain just woke up, groggy and a little cranky. He doesn’t exactly want to remember his apartment, or the break in, or... “You were there.”

_“...Huh?”_

His voice is hushed when he speaks. “You were... You showed up right before Oscorp did, right? In the apartment?”

_“In the— How do you— Who are you?”_

He swallows thickly. _This_ is the number he got? _This_ is his help? “I live there.”

_“...Spider-Man..?”_

Peter closes his eyes, sighs to himself. “You broke in.”

 _“Wh— I mean, I— I guess, I was just—”_ The voice on the other end is high, panicked. _“The—The door was open, I was worried—”_

Not true. “I locked my door,” he mumbles. Because he did, like he always does, and God, he doesn’t want to talk to the reason he signed those papers.

_“Th—No, no, it was open..?”_

“Why did you do it?”

_“Huh? I was, I was worried about you..?”_

About Spider-Man. Peter chews at his lip. “Who told you where I was?”

_“Uh, Lubby, the— the guy works at, at Oscorp.”_

Probably the blob of colors then.

 _“Are you okay?”_ the voice questioned. _“I didn’t, er, after Oscorp... I don’t know what happened. Did you— Did you get out?”_

No. Peter feels a little sick. “Why did... Lubby give me your number?”

_“Why’d— I uh, don’t know. Are you still in that building?”_

“...I’ve gotta go.”

_“Wait, wait! Did you— did you get out? Do you need help?”_

“I...” So what’s this kid going to do? Break into Oscorp and rip the prosthetic out of his leg? Sew on a new one? Fix his life with a couple kind words? “I don’t think you can help me.”

_“B— But I—”_

Peter hangs up, retreats back to his room. He’s tired. He’s got physical therapy at 4, and he’s going to want to get some sleep before then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY TO SEE PETER AGAIN? he not doin so hot whoops
> 
> i dont like this one that much, but it sets up a lot of important characterization bits, soooo


	33. Phone Call II

Tweeny wasn’t sure if he could breathe. It didn’t feel like it. Not with how much his chest hurt and how light headed he felt. He needed to sit down, which was weird cuz he was lying down on his bed, staring at his phone screen.

Call disconnected.

Unknown number.

Spider-Man. Spider-Man called him. Spider-Man called him asking for help. Spider-Man told him that he _couldn’t_ help. Great confidence booster.

The call ended a few minutes ago, and Tweeny had spent those last few minutes desperately Googling how to call back an unknown number. And then he stopped, thumb posed over the sixth link on the results page. Should he try to call back? Should he really? He'd already pressed at Spider-Man's privacy enough.

So he wouldn't call back. He'd just.. sit there. In his old loft bed, staring at some technobabble Google results he could barely understand. Cuz y’know, he was just a guy that really doesn't have the ability to help a superhero.

He tapped the power button on the side off his phone, letting it drop on his chest as he stared at the ceiling.

He was in the ceiling a couple days ago. That was the most excitement he'd ever had in his life. He sort of fucked most of it up and probably cost Lubby his job, got Spider-Man in some deep shit. But what could you expect from a first time kidnappee?

Still, he could’ve panicked a bit less, been a bit faster, not fallen out of the damn ceiling.

He caused a lot of trouble. He should try to fix it. He hasn’t done shit to try and fix it.

Four days, and what had he been doing? Waiting for time to pass, hoping his life would fall back to how it used to be.

He should be _helping_. He should be doing _something_. But at the same time, doing something only fucked things up worse the last time. He should lie low, stay out of everyone’s way.

What could he do? Make a Reddit post? Yeah, that would help. He could—

Tweeny’s eyes flicked down to his dresser. From atop his twin loft, he gazed down at the small electronic chip sitting on the wooden surface. Had it just flashed? He swore it flashed. It stopped flashing when Bets cut it out. It couldn’t have flashed.

Tweeny scratched at the back of his neck, feeling the rise under the band-aid where Bets had cut. It didn’t flash. Couldn’t have.

Tweeny was having a lot of trouble breathing. It took him way too long to remember to inhale, and then he didn’t know what to do after that. Swallowing through a dry mouth, he scrambled down from his bed and grabbed the chip.

It didn’t flash. He was just nervous and upset, and it was really hot in his room. Was it always that hot in his room? Maybe he should open the window.

Were  his hands shaking? It really shouldn’t have been that hard to open the window. Sure, it got stuck sometimes, but never this bad.

Something was wrong. This wasn’t normal. He felt sick, his head was spinning, and Tweeny was fucking _certain_ that the chip just fucking flashed again.

He needed to _do something._ He couldn’t think, Oscorp was breathing down his neck, and Spider-Man—Fucking _Spider-Man_ hated him. His life wasn’t going to get any lower than _that_.

So, he did what he shouldn’t have. He went to Reddit, endangered Bets and everyone she’d helped, pissed Oscorp off even more, maybe got Snails or Lubby killed. Then, because his chest hurt from panting, and because his face was hot with tears, and because he felt like global warming had targeted his bedroom specifically, he grabbed his coat and left.

 

 

.

.

.

 

 

r/spiderman  
Posted by u/tweeny • 4m

**oscorp kidnapped spiderman and fukcing chipped me**

^ 31.4k v ☐ 411 > Share

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so overtime at work is destroying my free time. i have many ideas, and little time or energy to actually write them lmao
> 
> at least i still have the motivation to torture the characters in this fic tho :)


	34. The Bugle Website IV

**Oscorp Thief Detained: Sabotage from the Inside**  
By  _Angela Mawker_  
Nov. 9, 2018

        On November 4th, Oscorp’s personal investigation into the theft of Spider-Man’s leg came to an end with the discovery of the cuprit. Lucas Bishop, a scientist with a PhD in biological engineering, confessed to robbing Oscorp’s facilities, proving it was an inside job. Oscorp representatives have only now come forward with this report.

        Having been an employee for over 8 years at Oscorp, Bishop was one of the first assigned to the project concerning Spider-Man’s DNA. At some point between 8 PM and 6 AM on October 31st, Bishop stole Oscorp property and trashed the lab he had previously worked in. Oscorp investigators say that Bishop used his status in order to avoid suspicion and smuggle the specimen out of the facility. Bishop’s motives are still unclear, and he has been unavailable to comment.

While not much is known about the project, Oscorp officials have assured the public that the breach in security did not halt their progress. “We were prepared for something like this,” says Osborn, CEO of Oscorp. “We’d be idiots to not have backup copies of our research.” Osborn claims that the only information lost was that discovered before it was entered into any of Oscorp’s servers, “which really isn’t that much.”

        But Osborn’s reassurances haven’t been enough for shareholders. While the damages may have been small, costs to the research company were substantial as stocks dropped by nearly 10% in a matter of days after the theft. Investors fear a similar event in the future, and many have relocated their funds to more secure facilities. The drop in stock prices will hit Oscorp hard if the company is unable to make up for the losses this coming fiscal year.

        Despite this, Oscorp refuses to press charges. Citing the break in as an internal affair, Oscorp’s board has decided to deal with the matter using their own human resources team. It is unclear as to what Bishop’s employment status is at this time, though there has been an outcry from investors to have him fired. “I can assure everyone that the matter will be handled appropriately,” says Osborn.

        But is it really that simple? Many conspirators believe that there’s more to the story than what Oscorp is willing to disclose. By refusing to press charges, Oscorp may be working to keep something no so legal off the books. And it won’t be for the first time.

        On December 4th of last year, Oscorp had to replace half of its acting board of directors due to embezzlement claims. It was only due to pressure from investors that caused the board to be replaced. Even then, many of the board were relocated to other positions in the company. Oscorp has been known to try to keep internal crimes quiet in an attempt to sustain their reputation, and this case may be no different. What happens to Bishop now is still up in the air.

 

 **Comments** : ( _16_ )

        DerickHAsdd:  
        so oscorp, like most companies, is doing some shady stuff. they just dont know how to cover it up  
        Reply || 3:02 PM

                Jesisicaaa:  
                @DerickHAsdd They have too many whistleblowers lol  
                Reply || 3:20 PM

                HABInger:  
                @DerickHAsdd they haven’t had a need to cover it up, osborn’s running for fuckin mayor again  
                Reply || 3:54 PM

                Jazzhands:  
                @HABInger is it legal to be a politician and a ceop of a private company  
                Reply || 4:02 PM

                sasukesabinch:  
                @Jazzhands shouldnt be. corruption ahoy!!  
                Reply || 5:00 PM

 

        HEYyeyeyeye:  
        the conspirators?? are they corect?? redit confirm  
        Reply || 2:59 PM

                MargaretL:  
                @HEYyeyeyeye yeet  
                Reply || 3:43PM

        mmmmmmiles:  
        Who’s seen that reddit post?  
        Reply || 2:59 PM

                HEYyeyeyeye:  
                @mmmmmmiles op fucking psychic out here  
                Reply || 3:00 PM

                HEYyeyeyeye:  
                @mmmmmmiles is it really a credible source tho?  
                Reply || 3:00 PM

                mmmmmmiles:  
                @HEYyeyeyeye reddit? Not so much. But lotsa people go to reddit and 4chan to talk company secrets  
                Reply || 3:04 PM

                mmmmmmiles:  
                @HEYyeyeyeye like the mcdonalds guy with his feet in the lettuce  
                Reply || 3:04 PM

                HEYyeyeyeye:  
                @mmmmmmiles a vivid example, thank you  
                Reply || 3:05 PM

                Bets-r-Off:  
                @mmmmmmiles What reddit post?  
                Reply || 3:12 PM

                mmmmmmiles:  
                @Bets-r-Off [https://www.reddit.com/r/spiderman/comments/bdal5i/oscorp_kidnapped_spiderman_and_fukcing_chipped_me/](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16288391/chapters/43759009)                 Reply || 3:17 PM

                Bets-r-Off:  
                @mmmmmmiles Thank you.  
                Reply || 3:19 PM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dabbled with the idea of writing out exactly what tweeny said in the reddit post, but idk, maybe ill do it for fun later


	35. Dash Cam II

“Bitch, you have a phone.”

“Yeah, I know, I can’t use it.”

“Ohh, you can’t use it, gotcha.”

“Oscorp could have tapped the calls—”

“Not one text! I had to bus to fucking Pennsylvania—”

“No one forced you to bus to me.”

“—And knock down your door, and you weren't even fucking there!” Ail huffed, tossing a hand up in the air. “I thought you’d been kidnapped.”

Snails glanced to his right. “I’m fine, we’re fine—”

“And you shut down the forum, we all fucking thought that was Oscorp.”

“I was trying to—”

“And you didn’t say shit! You just dropped off the face of the Earth!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it!” Snails huffed. “I’m trying to get off the radar here.”

Ail sank down in her seat, clutching the wires to the cage in her hands. “Well, you did. Congrats.”

Another quick glance, and Snails let the conversation drop. The cramped car was silent save for the grumble of the engine and Hibiscus scrabbling about in her cage.

Ail looked to the cage, watching the white rat inside as she stuck her nose through the bars. “Dunno why you brought the spider-rat.”

“She deserves a good life.”

Ail dropped her head onto the headrest, trying to glare a sunroof into the car ceiling. “Sure, but maybe your own safety should be a priority first.”

“Unless it means that you’re out of the loop,” Snails countered.

“When we get to New York, you’re crashing at my place.”

“No, Oscorp knows we’re friends, they’d expect it.”

Ail huffed. “What _doesn’t_ Oscorp know?”

“...The rat’s alive?”

“Wow, what a game changer.”

More silence, and Hibiscus had settled for hanging off the roof of the cage, sticking to the bars like the crazy spider-rat she was.

“I uh,” Snails paused, swallowed, then tried again. “Lubby contacted me, before the forum went down.”

Ail twisted to look at him. “Is he okay?”

Snails shook his head. “It was four days ago, I have no idea.”

She gave a frown. “You saw the news article?”

“Yeah. Yep. I’m gonna...” Snails paused, long enough for Ail to feel her gut twist. “I’m gonna try to get into Oscorp’s servers, see what they’re doing with Spidey, and Lubby.”

Ail paused, grimacing. “And you’re going to New York to do that?”

Snails offered a weak shrug. “Not where they’d expect me to be.”

“Okay, fine, so you’re gonna hack a major research company by your little old self while they hunt you down because Officer Jordan caught sight of a flagged plate parked at a dingy motel.”

“This is a cash rental.”

“Why am I friends with you?”

Snails tried to smother a smile, briefly glancing at his passenger. In return, Ail rolled her eyes.

“Hold on though. You know Tweeny’s already rallying troops, right?”

“You mean that Reddit post? People are eating that up. Did he really get chipped?”

“Yeah, it’s so fucked up!” Ail hollered, excitement lacing her tone. “And that Bugle article about Lubby is just convincing more people. I swear, I’m seeing people blabbing about it all over Twitter.”

“Keeps going like that, Oscorp’s gonna have to make a statement.”

“Exactly!”

“Or deal with Tweeny.”

Ail snorted. “With the internet fucking watching? They won’t get away with it.”

Snails gave her a sidelong glance and a smirk. “So the internet fame is a safety net.”

“Yes!”

“And the attention means Oscorp can’t get away with much in any area.”

“Yeeees!” Ail eagerly patted Snails’ shoulder, grinning widely. “And Bets didn’t want us to say shit!”

“Did you tell Bets it was a safety net?”

“She wouldn’t have listened,” Ail scoffed, her mood dropping instantly.

Snails hummed and shifted his grip on the steering wheel. “You said Bets was an underground doctor?”

“Mm-hm.”

“And Oscorp knows everything about her work?”

“Yep.”

“And her job relies on.. secrecy..”

“Hm.”

“...Bets doesn’t get a safety net out of this.”

Silence followed, and Ail glared out the passenger side window.

“Are you... Are you okay with that?”

Ail refused to shift her gaze. “We have to help Spidey.”

Snails paused, worry clear in his eyes, before speaking hesitantly. “Break a few eggs, I guess...” All the while, Hibiscus gently scuttled around in her cage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> snails is back :) so's the rat lmao
> 
> it's been a bit, but i figured out a lot of ideas on where im headed, so like. im not saying updates will be any faster, but im still invested in this story lol


	36. Security Feed IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please remember the whole "graphic depictions of violence" tag here my buddies. keep yourself safe

“You know, Mr. Parker, my son went to the same school as you.”

Yeah, he knows.

“He passed away a few years ago. Never managed to graduate.”

Yeah. He knows.

“You’re very lucky, you know. Getting those powers.”

Yeah.

“I was shocked when we finally figured out who Spider-Man is; just a random kid, college dropout.”

Osborn sounds really full of himself. Ready to make some scathing remark. Like Peter hasn’t already heard it from himself.

“I’m... a little concerned, Mr. Parker. You’re a brilliant kid.”

Osborn has his shooters. He’s fiddling with them, looking at them like they’ve disappointed him. In a way, it seems accurate.

“Made these by yourself, I would have expected someone with that skill to excel in further education, but... I suppose things don’t always work out.”

Yeah, he knows.

“Being a superhero in your downtime probably didn’t help your grades, but you’re not really doing that anymore, are you?”

Wow, you noticed?

“You know,”

Yeah, he _knows_.

“I could help you get through those college payments.”

...What?

“Your Aunt, she doesn’t have enough to get you through without debt. I could help. Fund your schooling, make sure May is comfortable. No more money troubles.”

Peter’s gut is twisting. Oscorp isn’t allowed to know about Aunt May. And Aunt May, Aunt May isn’t allowed to know about _any_ of this.

“I just need your cooperation, Peter.”

There’s the catch. There’s always a catch.

“Oscorp is having trouble with its public image. What we need now is Spider-Man, swinging around and saving the day, proudly wearing an Oscorp prosthetic.”

A fucking endorsement deal?

“Oscorp and Spider-Man together, that could save so many people, you know.”

Stop saying that.

“Together we can develop new technologies the world has never seen!”

Is this meant to be a job offer?

“Your mind, your _powers_! They’re the answer to the world’s problems!”

Oh.

It’s about the powers. It’s cuz they lost his leg. They didn’t need legal consent from a leg.

“Please, think about it, Peter. I’ve already seen so much talent go to waste with my son. I don’t want to see the same happen to you.”

Peter feels like he’s going to be sick. Osborn claps him on the shoulder and leaves. Leaves Peter with his webshooters, sitting in an uncomfortable lobby chair, barely breathing.

He needs to get out.

Security doesn’t stop him as he stumbles out of the building. And why would they? The leg probably has some kind of tracker in it; he’s not actually free of Oscorp.

Wearing the webshooters makes him feel sick, so he shambles over to his apartment instead. It’s like it always is; yellow lamps from the street lighting the outdoor stairwell, cuz the light in the stairwell went out five months ago and hasn’t been replaced. Still hasn’t been.

It’s the same. Peter can’t deal with it being the same. He can’t go back there.

He turns around, picks a direction and walks. Cuz he can walk now. He can—

A sharp pain shoots from his leg, and Peter stumbles, gripping the side of the building to catch himself. The pain is light, throbbing and dull, but still present. And it’s... it’s...

His right leg. The missing one. He swears he can feel it. He can feel the pain. He shifts the fake limb, can’t feel it beyond the stump of his leg. But he still feels that pulsing pain.

Peter can barely breathe, can barely stand, feels like he’s going to be sick. 

There’s a tapping, or stomping, something, but Peter ignores it. He sinks to the sidewalk and tears at his pant leg to reveal the prosthetic underneath. It looks fine, functional. But he’s still in pain, and it has to be coming from somewhere.

He’s desperate, so he yanks at the limb, probably breaks a lock that keeps it inside the base. His hands are shaking as he pulls at the gauze around the base, then the stitches. He dig his fingers between the plastic and his skin, and yeah, it hurts, but at least he’s asking for this pain. At least he knows why it’s there,

“Hey, hey, hey, hey, stop!”

Someone’s kneeling in front of him, trying to pull his hands away, but it’s not working. Thank god it’s not working. He needs this thing _off_.

“Stop, hey, look at me!”

Peter doesn’t listen. His fingers slip on his own blood as he claws at himself.

“Buddy, you gotta stop, you gotta _breathe_!”

The stranger tries to pull his head up with gentle hands, but Peter can’t see the stranger’s face. Can’t focus enough to see it. Now that he’s not looking at them, he’s not sure what his hands are doing anymore.

“Spidey, you need to breathe, come on. With me, in, out...”

Is he not doing that? Breathing isn’t his main priority right now, not when he can’t see straight, or think.

“Spidey, Spidey! Can you hear me?”

He nods. It’s horribly shakey, but he nods. The stranger seems to like that.

“Okay, now I need you to breathe. You feel my chest? Breathe with me, okay?”

He tries, but he’s light headed and his hearing’s starting to go too. He can’t follow directions like this.

“Sp—--y? Stay w—— ou— ay......”

Peter loses consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaaaa. hm. spidey's back! he gets another chapter! which means more suffering but uuuuhh, yeah. it's ok. we're ok


	37. JARVIS II

“J, why am I looking at Spider-Man conspiracy theories?”

_“You told me to inform you of any missed payments or tenant complaints.”_

“...You’re gonna need to back up there, J. Not picking up whatever it is you’re puttin’ down.”

_“Though from an unreliable source, this theory accurately coincides with several disturbance reports at Inver Grove Apartments, the complex listed in the post itself.”_

“So what was the disturbance?”

_“Details have been restricted from public access by request of Oscorp Industries.”_

Tony glanced at the ceiling, frowning as if JARVIS were really up there to make eye contact with him. “Oscorp, who ‘kidnapped’ Spider-Man?”

_“Correct, Sir.”_

Tony looked back to the reddit post on the display in front of him, drawing his hand to his chin in thought. “Who wrote this?” he said at last.

 _“Trace on the posting IP is almost complete._ ”

Tony gave a brief smirk. “Always on top of things, aren’t you J?”

_“Always, Sir.”_

“While you’re at it, get me all the recent news on Oscorp, ever since Spidey vanished.”

_“Right away, sir.”_

Articles were quick to litter Tony’s screen. Plenty of different sources, from the fight with the Vulture to the latest scientific journal published by their workers. A bit of a mess, but Tony was used to a mess.

He hoped this batshit theory wasn’t real. He was sick of company conspiracies, and he didn’t want Spider-Man caught up in the middle of one. What happened the last time a superhuman got caught up in a corrupt research industry? Nothing good, Tony knew that.

“Oscorp tests Spider-Man’s leg for cures to cancer.”

“Oscorp research brought to a standstill by break in.”

“Oscorp to lead the world in genetic research.”

Where did that come from? Not a good jump to see. If Oscorp had Spider-Man, they could easily continue their research. Too much seemed to be lining up with that dumb reddit post.

“Tell me I’m just crazy, JARVIS,” Tony mumbed.

He fished through a few more news articles. Interviews, photos, job openings with Oscorp. Lucas Bishop, the internal Oscorp robbery, no charges. “LUBBY” commenting on Daily Bugle articles, “tweeny” snapping at him. TheSpider.forums.com, a snapped up URL shut down by the owner.

If it was a set up, it was a thorough one. And despite each second of silence that filled Tony with a drop more of dread, he kept reading.

“Oscorp to lead the world in genetic research.” Again.

“Shit,” Tony muttered. He raked a hand through his hair. “Not again.”

_“Sir, I’ve found the location of the reddit poster.”_

Tony sucked in a breath, pulled his senses back to himself. “Okay... Let’s pay him a visit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short cuz yeah. i mean, all the chapters are short but that's not the point. we gettin to the fun stuff, slowly but surely


	38. Street Cam

Tweeny didn't think he'd been out for that long, but panic attacks had a way of warping his sense of time. And sense of direction. He had no idea where he was. Stopped by a crosswalk, he squinted up at the street sign in the dim light.

His phone said it was 5pm, last he checked. Well, really last he checked, it said 'Out of Power'. A dead phone was not a helpful watch. Or GPS, which left Tweeny awkwardly trying to navigate back home with only a vague understanding of his surroundings.

You'd think a born and raised New Yorker would know how to navigate the city. You'd think a lot of things about Tweeny, and generally be wrong.

Like maybe he could say a complete sentence. Incorrect. He could not do that. Even when it was important.

"Ya lost there, kid? You look a little uuhh... Lost."

Yeah. Yeah, he was lost. But he wasn't really lost enough to take directions from a group of strangers in an alleyway.

The two guys next to the first snickered, knocked their friend on the shoulder. Tweeny tried to scurry along, like he didn't hear anything.

"Hey, kid! He's tryina talk to you!"

Well, he couldn't pretend he just didn't hear that. "No, nah, I uh, I got a-- I, I got uh, um." Tweeny took half a second to breathe. "I got a ride coming."

"Yeah? Ya got a um uh ride comin'?" came the second guy's mocking. The three men snickered, and Tweeny really didn't like that.

"Hey, you like Spider-Man, kid?" one of the guys called. He had his cap on backwards, like something from Pokemon. "You're shirt! I had one like that! Threw it out, though."

The other two giggled to themselves. 

Tweeny took that as his cue to leave, hurrying towards the sidewalk while the three musketeers recounted their adventures to themselves. 

Then there was a pause, the musketeers stopped laughing. Murmuring, then, "Hey, wait, kid! Where ya goin?" There was shuffling, stomping, and Tweeny turned back to the musketeers to see them much closer than was comfortable. "We're lookin for somebody, ya see the news lately?"

"I-- I don't..."

“Don’t check the news?” Poke-hat jabbed. “C’mon, you like Spidey, right? Ya gotta be in the loop!”

“You know about Oscorp, right?” The second guy tapped the back of his neck, looking at Tweeny expectantly. “We’re trying to find one of their dudes.”

“Oh, man, what the fuck is that?”

For half a second, Tweeny was pretty sure a plane had decided to land in the alley way. 

The musketeers didn't seem to know what to think, either, as a roaring flash of gold and red slammed down into the alleyway. "That's your fuckin ride?!"

Iron Man, straightening up from the dent he had made in the asphalt, turned to the musketeers. "Scram," came the computerized voice from the suit.

The musketeers didn't need to be told twice, and Tweeny twisted to follow them.

"Not you, raincoat!"

Fuck, that was him. What the hell did Iron Man want with him? As the musketeers scuttled to the curb, Tweeny was left standing between them and a horrifyingly intimidating metal suit of armor. 

“I’ve got come questions for you,” Iron Man said.

Tweeny practically choked on his words as he tried to get something out. “I— d-don’t...”

“The Reddit post. How much of it’s true? Or is that band-aid on the back of your neck just for show?”

Shit,  _ that’s _ why Iron Man was up his ass right now? What in the goddamn had Tweeny’s life become?

“I— It, I—”

“He doesn’t wanna talk to you!” Maybe the sudden support from the musketeers would have been reassuring if they weren’t a good ten feet away.

Iron Man glanced at the cowering trio. “The suit was definitely overkill.”

A high whine escaped the suit as Iron Man turned back to look at Tweeny. “Get in the car, kid. You wanna help Spidey, you gotta help me first.”

“W-Wait, you believe—?”

The whine erupted into a proper roaring as the suit took off, blasting out of the alley.

“Your ride is not great with carpool—Wah!”

Tweeny turned back to the musketeers just in time to watch them tumble out of the way of a crazy expensive looking car. The passenger window lowered, and Tweeny was greeted by the iconic face of Tony Stark.

“Hop in. We got a spider to save.”

And yeah, Tweeny was scared. he didn’t want to deal with any of this. But he kind of owned it to Spider-Man, didn’t he? This was the kid of reaction they wanted from that dumb Reddit post. Now, he could actually do something for his hero.

Tweeny got in the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall work burnout is killing me,,, overtime is horrible,,,, i wanna have the time and energy to write lmao


	39. Motel Security Cam

“Yknow, I never really thought of Spidey as a brunette.”

Snails, juggling plastic bags through the motel door, glanced up. His lip curled up as he squirting in Ail’s direction. “Have you just been staring at him? The entire time I’ve been gone?”

Ail pulled her head out of her hand. “No. I watched Hibiscus for a bit. There’s no cable, by the way. Boring channels only.”

Snails dropped his bags by the door and bent down to fish some supplies out. “That’s kinda creepy, Ails, Just a bit.”

“Yeah, and we can just forget the kidnapping we’ve already done.”

They’d found Spidey on the drive to the motel, only noticed there was someone there when Ail forced them to slow down to point out the address Lubby had given them not so long ago. It was kind of a miracle, in a sense. They were looking for Spider-Man, and they found him. Course, they found him trying to rip a prosthetic out of his leg. An Oscorp prosthetic. But still. Look on the bright side, and all that.

Snails gave a huff. “It was not kidnapping. He fainted, what was I supposed to do?”

“Fainted, or drugged?”

Looking up from the cheap fruit cup he bought, Snails glared at Ail. “You were there.”

Ail clicked her teeth, glancing back at him with a mockingly skeptical look. “Was I, though?”

Instead of humoring her any longer, Snails simply shook his head and moved over to Hibiscus’ cage, which sat on the small table between the two double beds. The rat scrambled to the cage doors, smelling the fruit no doubt, and practically gnawed the bars apart in her attempt to reach it.

Snails was quick to dump the cup of fruit into the cage, fearing for the cage’s integrity.

The tiny motel room fell into silence, Hibiscus’ noisy chewing being the only thing to break the silence. Snails glanced towards the lump lying in the bed beside him. 

“Think I can take a look at his leg without waking him up?”

Ail nodded emphatically. “Heck yeah. Bitch is _out_.”

They’d wrapped a towel haphazardly around the bloodied area, but Snails had figured getting some gauze would be a good idea. Maybe not necessary though, because when Snails pulled back the towel, the wound looked practically healed. Pink skin and drying blood around the prosthetic was the only indication that any injury existed in the first place.

“Damn, super healing is crazy.”

Snails just huffed. “The gauze cost like 14 bucks.”

Ail hummed, probably dropping back into her own head, so Snails draped the cover back over the sleeping hero.

“He’s like fucking twelve.” Ail blurted out.

“Huh?” Snails glanced between her and the sleeping hero. “He’s... not?”

“No, but.” Ail scoffed, frustrated. “Like, he’s been doing this for ages, and he looks like he’s my age. Younger, actually.”

Snails... didn’t want to think about that. He heard about Spider-Man for the first time when he was a college freshman, and that was at least 6 years ago. Maybe Spidey abused the fuck out of some anti-aging cream, but from what Snails could see, he looked barely 21, if that.

“If he’s not old enough to drink, I’m gonna punch him when he wakes up.”

“Ah, no no, please don’t,” Snails moaned. He knew Ail was a lot more aggressive in her affection, but something about punching a super powered human with no context sounded dangerous.

Ail just snickered. “You take me too seriously.”

“Can I say though, it didn’t really look like Spidey was being held captive by Oscorp,” Snails mumbled. “If he’s not in trouble, do we really have any reason to pry?”

Narrowing her eyes, Ail spoke. “You’ve probably sat next to a victim of human trafficking on an airplane before.”

“Wh—?”

“My point being, bad things look pretty on the outside.”

“... Maybe..."

Ail grumbled, “He took the prosthetic, Snails. like a month without one so says Tweeny, and he takes the prosthetic and tries to rip it out again. How is that not in trouble?”

Snails didn’t have a good answer, so Ail simply glared him down before changing the subject, annoyance leaking into her words.

“I’m looking into Lubby. We should find out as much as we can if we want to make sure he’s safe.”

Snails looked over, eyebrows raised. “You’re looking into it?”

“I bugged my freaky friends about it. If there’s anyone who’ll know about the messed up underground of Oscorp, it’s them.”

“I thought you didn’t associate with them anymore?”

“I don’t make a habit of it,” Ail snipped.

Snails sighed lightly in response, plopping down on the bed beside her. “Alright then. It’s late, I need sleep. We’ll talk in the morning, figure out what to do next.”

“Hopefully Spidey actually decides to stick around that long.”

“I bet he will,” Snails responded, maybe a bit of false optimism lacing his tone. “You need a ride home?”

Ail shook her head, still focused on the prone form of Spider-Man. “Nah. I can walk from here.”

“Be careful.”

She hummed, standing. “You know I don’t need to be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY ALL YOU NEWBIES! if you came here from Gwen's rec, thank you so much, it really means a lot ;v;
> 
> sorry the update yall get is so lackluster. i've been stuck on this chapter for weeks, and i almost considered trashing it all together, but i wasn't really willing to get rid of it and still have nothing worth posting. from now on, i refuse to post new fanfics that aren't completed -v- updating on the fly is horrible


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